Celebrating Women's History Month

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - In the first civil rights parade, March 3, 1913, using the nation's capital as a backdrop, 5,000 women marched up Pennsylvania Avenue demanding the right to vote.

The protest was the day before Woodrow Wilson's presidential inauguration, highlighting the importance of the cause. The parade - and the near riot that almost destroyed it - kept women's suffrage in the newspapers for weeks.

It wasn't until 1920 that women won the right to cast the ballot. Now the goal is to increase the number of female elected officials.

In the 113th Congress, numbers of women on Capitol Hill grew. Now there are 20 female Senators and 81 female members serving in the House of Representatives - an all-time high - and the group is more diverse.

Look for more women's history facts on the Internet and watch for the national 20/20 Program raising the issue… When will the U.S. elect a woman president?