We Do Declare: Women’s Voices on Independence

In celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, we were honored to welcome Rachel F. Seidman, Ph.D., curator with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, for a powerful conversation inspired by the museum’s oral history project WE DO DECLARE: WOMEN’S VOICES ON INDEPENDENCE.  

The project explores the stories of over 30 women whose courage, persistence, and creativity helped expand economic power, opportunity, and autonomy for women across the country.  

We’re grateful to Dr. Seidman and her team for bringing these women and their stories to light and for preserving the voices of those who helped advance women’s economic independence. 

Dr. Seidman began by describing the project and its inspiration, focused on four channels used to pursue financial independence: reshaping laws, shifting public perception, building new support networks, and mobilizing their collective economic power.  She also reminded us that oral history centers the voices of everyday people, allowing women to reflect on their experiences from today’s perspective and helping us understand how social change happens. 

Key Takeaways

• The Meaning of Economic Independence Has Evolved.  Many older women described being raised with expectations to focus primarily on family life or to “marry well.” But their experiences, and often the experiences of their mothers, demonstrated the importance of financial independence and economic agency. 
• Expanding Opportunity Required Persistence. Several interviewees reflected on the limited career paths available to women in previous decades and the determination required to broaden those opportunities.  Their stories highlight the persistence and courage required to challenge systems and expand possibilities for future generations. 
• Independence And Interdependence Go Hand in Hand.  While financial independence was a central theme in many interviews, women also spoke about the importance of community, relationships, and shared support, and that progress frequently happens through networks, collaboration, and collective action. 
• Courage Alone Was Not Always Enough. Dr. Seidman shared that history often highlights those who succeeded, while overlooking the many women who tried before them but were blocked by structural barriers or limited resources.  Behind every “first” woman to achieve something are the attempts of many others who paved the way. 
• Why Preserving Women’s Financial Stories Matters. Women’s stories are not just reflections of the past; they shape the future.  Many of the women she interviewed pointed to factors that continue to shape women’s economic choices today, including access to affordable childcare and workplace policies that support families.  

Dr. Seidman noted that history is shaped not only by institutions and policies but also by the choices and actions of everyday people.  

Actions

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• Questions?  Contact Christie Senft at [email protected]

About Our Speaker

 Rachel F. Seidman, Curator at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum

Rachel F. Seidman is a curator at the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, where she is directing the oral history project We Do Declare: Women’s Voices on Independence.  Previously, Seidman was an award-winning curator at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum.

Before coming to Washington, D.C., Seidman directed the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  She has also taught women’s history at UNC, Duke University, and Carleton College. In 2019, Seidman was a Fulbright Scholar in Finland.

She holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale University and a BA from Oberlin College. She is the author of Speaking of Feminism: Today’s Activists on the Past, Present and Future of the U.S. Women’s Movement (UNC Press, 2019) and has a new book forthcoming from Simon and Schuster in May 2026, Our Story: A Guide to Recording and Sharing Your Family History.

About the Museum  
The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum expands the story of America through the often-untold accounts and accomplishments of women—individually and collectively—to better understand our past and inspire our future. Through new scholarships and innovative exhibitions and online experiences, storytelling and participation, the museum inspires the next generation. The legislation creating the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum passed Dec. 27, 2020, and the museum is working with Congress to finalize a site for the physical building on the National Mall, even as it continues to advance history, education , and scholarship.   

Learn more about the museum on its website: https://womenshistory.si.edu/