Early History of Birth Control in the United States
Portrait of Margaret Sanger taken in 1922.
One of the most important aspects to reproductive rights is birth control, the ability to be able to control when one wants to become pregnant and have children. In this exhibit, I will look the early history of birth control in the United States, especially the American birth control movement, the politics of birth control in the early 20th century and how expanded access to birth control affected the lives of women and their families. I will be focusing on the work of Margaret Sanger, a key birth control activist during this time period who is credited with popularizing the term birth control, created the United States' first birth control clinic and founded the organization that would eventually become Planned Parenthood. I will discuss the societal change, legal victories and legacy of the movement.