Mary Ritter Beard

Historian and advocate for women's inclusion in historical narratives

Mary Ritter Beard (1876–1958) revolutionized historiography by advocating for the inclusion of women’s contributions in historical records. Co-authoring 'The Rise of American Civilization' with her husband Charles Beard, she challenged male-dominated narratives. Her seminal work, Woman as Force in History (1946), argued that women had always been active agents in shaping societies, countering the notion of female passivity.

Beard co-founded the World Center for Women’s Archives in 1935 to collect and preserve women’s historical documents, a precursor to modern feminist archives. She also advised First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on women’s issues, linking academic rigor to policymaking.

Despite resistance from male historians, Beard’s scholarship laid the groundwork for feminist historiography. Her insistence on women’s intellectual and cultural agency continues to influence gender studies and historical research today.