This Day in History: 2016-03-08

On International Women’s Day, we remember the women whose movement became a major force for environmental reform as early as the 1870s. From the stream surveys of Ellen Swallow Richards to the full Progressive Movement within a generation, millions joined civic organizations and, under the banner of “municipal housekeeping,” extended their roles from domestic chores to a much broader concern about their communities and environments. Their contributions were vital in civilizing and improving the horrific conditions created by the industrial revolution and the philosophies of social darwinism and unregulated capitalism.