\u201cHistory is written by the victors,\u201d Winston Churchill once said. He also could have said that history is written mainly by men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This fact plays out in unsurprising ways. Women, for example, account for only 1 in 10 figures represented in U.S. history textbooks, while only 13 of the more than 200 statues in the U.S. Capitol are female figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Americans \u201conly know half of our history,\u201d says Joan Wages, who is president and CEO of the National Women\u2019s History Museum, an entity that currently exists only online. Founded in 1996, the NWHM is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to \u201ceducating the public about the diverse historic contribution of women.\u201d It also wants to build a \u201cworld-class, permanent museum\u201d in the Washington, D.C., area to \u201cherald and display the collective history of American women.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The actress Meryl Streep is one of the bestknown backers of such a museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two months ago\u201418 years after the online NWHM was founded\u2014the U.S. House of Representatives finally approved bipartisan legislation to form a Congressional Commission on the potential creation of a brick-andmortar National Women\u2019s History Museum in the nation\u2019s capital. The current Congress is nearly 20 percent female, the largest proportion ever; apparently, a critical mass of female legislators was needed in order for the idea to be taken seriously. Numbers matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and is awaiting action. Since both political parties are working to attract female voters in this mid-term election year, 2014 may be the magic year for NWHM legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it is approved, the Congressional Commission would have 18 months to produce a feasible plan for the museum, to include governance, estimated cost, location, and organizational structure. One big question to be decided: should the NWHM join the Smithsonian?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current thinking is that the museum would be paid for entirely by private donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why not a museum dedicated to what women have contributed to this country\u2019s history? There is a National Museum of the American Indian (which opened in 2004), the National Museum of African American History and Culture (set to open in 2015), and the National Museum of the American Latino, now in the planning stages. Women deserve an actual venue to display our considerable contributions, too, particularly since we have been short-changed in the history books for hundreds of years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea of a women\u2019s museum has caused some controversy. Most recently, there has been a battle between the museum executives and its historians (an 18-member Advisory Council). That council was dissolved in March by Ms. Wages. If a Commission becomes a reality, however, it will include eight historians and museum experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n