Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business

By Virginia G. Drachman

Book Overview

Meet Katherine Goddard, owner of a print shop and publisher of the first signed copy of the Declaration of Independence; meet Madam C. J. Walker, whose hair care products brought her from her slave parents' dilapidated cabin to her own Hudson River estate; and meet Katharine Graham, publisher of the Pentagon Papers and owner of the Washington Post Company.

These are just three of the diverse women whose lives unfold in this engaging history of women entrepreneurs in America from the colonial era to the end of the twentieth century. Some ran businesses in industries dominated by men, such as iron and aircraft production, while others built businesses that marketed specifically to women, in industries such as beauty, fashion, and food. Despite facing gender discrimination and the burdens of work and family, these women entrepreneurs understood the value of a good idea, were willing to take a risk, and believed in the possibility of the American dream of success.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807854298
• ISBN13: 9780807854297
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 9.0" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

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exhibition and looks at the lives of women from 1750 to 2000. Meet women who were and continue to be instrumental in building America. Enterprising Women brings to life the stories of family, marriage, motherhood and business savvy success. Marriage was a crucial decision in a woman's life before the 20th century. A woman's choice in marriage ranked with survival, so a divorce could be the demise of a woman's lifestyle and life. Yet, Madam C. J. Walker, Elizabeth Arden and Martha Stewart endured and flourished after divorce while at the helm of their companies. Motherhood was a challenge (and still continues to be a challenge), so a few women remained single as in the case of Katherine Goddard whose business was a family business. Ellen Domoest sold paper dress patterns, Oprah Winfrey has taken self-improvement to billion-dollar success, Lillian Vernon started a catalog at her kitchen table and Maggie L. Walker became the first African American bank president. Enterprising Women is a must-have for every women and her daughter to know where she came from and what each of us are capable of achieving in business and on life's journey.