For the first 128 years of America's history, only men served in the Senate and House of Representatives. From the women's suffrage movement to the 2018 election, Ilene Cooper highlights the female leaders who opened doors for women in Washington politics, including Nancy Pelosi (the first woman Speaker of the House), Margaret Chase Smith (the first woman elected to the Senate), Patsy Mink (the first woman of color to serve in the House), and newcomers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. Along with a foreword by former senator Olympia Snow, this book for readers 9 to 12 includes archival photographs and cartoon illustrations from Elizabeth Baddeley, and appendices that define key terms and governmental procedures.