How Hillary Clinton Just Made History

Since entering into politics in 1969, Hillary Clinton has broken many barriers and became a feminist icon to many throughout her years in service. According to The White House archives, Clinton became interested in politics during her high school years and eventually attended Yale Law School, where she also met her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Hillary served in some of the highest positions in the country, including First Lady, U.S. Senator of New York, and U.S. Secretary of State. Those positions have enabled her to be one of the most recognizable names in American politics, but Clinton always had a goal to fight for women's rights and push for a more inclusive and equal society.

"A lot of legal barriers have disappeared, and that's a big step. So now we deal with all of these pent-up stereotypes and judgments about what women should and shouldn't do or should and shouldn't be," Clinton told Vanity Fair in 2020 about how society has evolved from when she first entered politics. "And we have all these forces — political and ideological and religious and financial — arrayed against further progress." As these issues are still apparent in society, Clinton has made it her mission to help women be in positions of power. In doing so, she has also made history.

As a scholar herself, Hillary Clinton has spoken about the importance of receiving education and is now giving back to academia. Clinton was announced as the first Chair in Women's History at Oxford University — and in the world! Announced in October 2021, The Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair in Women's History "will encourage more young scholars to pursue a doctorate in women's history," according to the university.

Clinton celebrated the honor during the unveiling at Oxford University on October 27. "While the new Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair in Women's History at @UniofOxford is the first chair in women's history in the world, I hope it will not be the last," she wrote on Twitter. "It says not only to the world of academia that women's history is worthy of study, but that women's lives and thoughts have always mattered; that history includes not just the notable but also the marginalized and forgotten; and that no one can write us out of history again."

This isn't the first time Clinton has spoken about how women should be treated equally or placed importance on education. In an interview with Time, Clinton said that sexism "has to be acknowledged, and confronted." She added, "My hope for young women coming up is to develop that confidence and that commitment about what you want to make of your own life, and to support other women as they pursue their own ambitions and dreams."