CMU LibGuides: Women's History: Primary Sources (American): Government Documents

Government Documents

Documents produced by the United States government can be a great source of information. Below are just a few examples of the types of government documents that are relevant to women's history. Both of the examples can be found in the Proquest Congressional database. To find more, see: Government Documents. Another helpful resource is:

Huls, Mary Ellen. United States Government Documents on Women, 1800-1990: A Comprehensive Bibliography. vols. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1993.
HUNT STACKS-3 Z7964 .U49 H85

If you need help locating government documents, please ask for assistance.

Discrimination Against Women, Part I
Hearings before the Special Subcom on Education on Section 805 of H.R. 16098 (text, p. 1), the Omnibus Postsecondary Education Act of 1970, to amend the Civil Rights Act to: prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in federally financed programs; remove exemption in Title VII of those in education; authorize the Civil Rights Commission to study discriminatory practices against women; and remove exemptions of executive, administrative, and professional employees from the equal pay for equal work provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Records of the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, 1918-1965, Part I: Reports of the Director, Annual Summaries, Major Conferences, Speeches, and Articles
Approximately 23,000 pages, is organized into roughly 1,700 folders, and represents one of nine collections in the History Vault Module, "Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps."
Records of the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, 1918-1965, Part II: Women in World War II, Series A: Unpublished Studies and War Community Survey
Comprised of approximately 10,000 pages, is organized into 520 folders, and represents one of nine collections in the History Vault Module, "Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps."
Records of the Women's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor, 1918-1965, Part II: Women in World War II, Series B: Subjects and Correspondence Files on War Industries
Comprised of approximately 35,000 pages, is organized into 494 folders, and represents one of nine collections in the History Vault Module, "Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps."
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 1: General & Financial Correspondence
Consists of correspondence related to general military matters and finance. It covers topics such as provision of religion-based activities for WAC personnel, military education and training, recruiting, and budgeting.
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 2: Personnel
Consists of correspondence related to personnel matters. Major topics include transfers of WAC personnel to Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe; discharges; leaves of absence; classification and assignment of personnel; awards; courts-martial and other disciplinary actions; and race. On the topic of race, Part 2 includes material on both black and Japanese women interested in joining the WAC or pertaining to their treatment during their service.
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 3: Administration and Organization of the Army
The correspondence in Part 3 is largely focused on personnel needs of the WAC and the military in general, though there are occasional newspaper articles, photographs, and personal correspondence.
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 4: Tactical Units, Geographical Divisions, and Recruitment
Focuses on the status of the WAC, including recruiting success and facility inspections. There are also occasional newspaper articles, photographs, and personal letters.
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 5: Education, Mobilization, and Conduct during Wartime
The correspondence covers a wide range of subject areas and is arranged according to the War Department's decimal filing system. Material within each folder is arranged in a sometimes haphazard way, but appears to be in a rough chronological order (sometimes reverse chronological order). In addition to the predominant correspondence, this series contains copies of handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, magazines, journals, pamphlets, circulars, and telegrams.
Women in the U.S. Military: Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942-1946, Part 6: Supplies and Equipment, Transportation, Medical Issues, and Miscellaneous Correspondence
In addition to the predominant correspondence, this series contains copies of handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, magazines, journals, pamphlets, circulars, and telegrams.
Women's Bureau. Bulletin.
CARNEGIE LIBRARY OF PITTSBURGH, SOCIAL SCIENCES CLOSED STACKS, r331.4 U2532b
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH HILLMAN LIBRARY - MICROFORMS, 2ND FLOOR
Established in the Department of Labor in 1920, the Women's Bureau published these popular guides describing employment opportunities for women in various occupations and professions, responsibilities of women workers, and other women's issues, such as employment of older women, civil and political status, etc. Harvard University Library Open Collections Program's Women Working, 1870-1930, has digitized these and other publications from the Women's Bureau.
Records of the Women's Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor, 1918-1965
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, Law Library Microform Collection Non-circulating Printed guide, reels:no.1-23