The history of women's activism in St. Louis began long before 1920,
when Missouri ratified the Nineteenth Amendment and gave women the right
to vote. Women have always been a fundamental--but too often unfairly
forgotten--part of what made St. Louis a great American city. By taking
a closer look at decades of St. Louis women from every race, class, and
creed, a richer picture of the entire city's history begins to emerge.
In Groundbreakers, Rule-Breakers, & Rebels, Katie J. Moon tells the
stories of fifty female pioneers with ties to St. Louis, from
European-born settlers like Marie-Thérèse Bourgeois Chouteau to
early-twentieth-century cookbook author Irma Rombauer and renowned
activist poet Maya Angelou. Moon also uncovers histories of lesser-known
figures who proved equally important to building the foundations of this
city. Whether world-famous or not, each of the trailblazing women in
this book faced a host of specific obstacles and restrictions in their
chosen fields that existed solely because of their gender. Their
victories were all hard won and well earned.
Illustrated by St. Louis artist Rori! and published to coincide with the
Missouri History Museum's exhibit Beyond the Ballot: St. Louis and
Suffrage, this book is the only one of its kind. Groundbreakers,
Rule-Breakers, & Rebels not only expands the story of women's suffrage
beyond the fight to win the right to vote, it also reveals how
generations of fearless female fighters can be found throughout American
history, in any city where you might look.
