Duringtheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies，almostnothingwaswrittenaboutthecontributionsofwomenduringthecolonialperiodandtheearlyhistoryofthenewlyformedUnitedStates．Lackingtherighttovoteandabsentfromtheseatsof
Duringtheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies，almostnothingwaswrittenaboutthecontributionsofwomenduringthecolonialperiodandtheearlyhistoryofthenewlyformedUnitedStates．Lackingtherighttovoteandabsentfromtheseatsofpower，womenwerenotconsideredanimportantforceinhistory．AnneBradstreetwrotesomesignificantpoetryintheseventeenthcentury，MercyOtisWarrenproducedthebestcontemporaryhistoryoftheAmericanRevolution，andAbigailAdamspennedimportantlettersshowingsheexercisedgreatpoliticalinfluenceoverherhusband，John，thesecondPresidentoftheUnitedStates．Butlittleornonoticewastakenofthesecontributions．Duringthesecenturies，womenremainedinvisibleinhistorybooks．
Throughoutthenineteenthcentury，thislackofvisibilitycontinued，despitetheeffortsoffemaleauthorswritingaboutwomen．Thesewriters，likemostoftheirmalecounterparts，wereamateurhistorians．Theirwritingswerecelebratoryinnature，andthey wereuncriticalintheirselectionanduseofsources．Duringthenineteenthcentury，however，certainfeministsshowedakeensenseofhistorybykeepingrecordsofactivitiesinwhichwomenwereengaged．National，regional，andlocalwomen'sorganizationscompiledaccountsoftheirdoings．Personalcorrespondence，newspaperclippings，andsouvenirsweresavedandstored．Thesesourcesfromthecoreofthetwogreatestcollectionsofwomen'shistoryintheUnitedStatesoneattheElizabethandArthurSchlesingerLibraryatRadcliffé College，andtheothertheSophiaSmithCollectionatSmithCollege．Suchsourceshaveprovidedvaluablematerialsforlatergenerationsofhistorians．
Despitethegatheringofmoreinformationaboutordinarywomenduringthenineteenthcentury，mostofthewritingaboutwomenconformedtothe"greatwomen"theoryofhistory，justasmuchofmainstreamAmericanhistoryconcentratedon"greatmen．"TodemonstratethatwomenweremakingsignificantcontributionstoAmericanlife，femaleauthorssingledoutwomenleadersandwrotebiographies，orelseimportantwomenproducedtheirautobiographies．Mostoftheseleaderswereinvolvedinpubliclifeasreformers，activistsworkingforwomen'srighttovote，orauthors，andwe