Frances Willard was a social reformer during the 1800s. She was a primary force in the temperance movement, which opposed the consumption of alcoholic beverages; she organized the Prohibition Party. Willard also fought for women's equal rights in employment and women's suffrage. Willard became the president of Evanston College and later was appointed the first dean for women at Northwestern University.

Jane Addams was a social reformer of the 19th and 20th centuries. Addams opened a settlement house in 1889. Hull House was created to provide services to the poor in Chicago. Services were also provided to immigrants in the Chicago area. Addams was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work as president of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

Oprah Winfrey is an international icon and media entrepreneur. Winfrey came to national prominence with her nationally syndicated The Oprah Winfrey Show. The success of her talk show launched a career that includes a cable network, a movie production company, and her own magazine. As a result, Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire and has been named the most influential African American in the world. Winfrey is considered one of the greatest philanthropists in the United States. She raises millions of dollars for various causes, and she has opened a school for girls in South Africa.

Hillary Rodham Clinton became the First Lady when her husband Bill Clinton became president in 1993. She served as First Lady until 2001; she then was elected to the U.S. Senate and served the state of New York until 2009. Clinton ran for president in the 2008 election. She did not win, but Barack Obama appointed her as Secretary of State. Clinton, who served as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, became the only former First Lady to hold a national office.

Sandra Day O'Connor made American history when she was appointed the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice in 1981. O'Connor, a Republican, was known for voting as conservatively as her political party. However O'Connor sometimes voted against her party on crucial decisions. For example, while she upheld some states' limitations on access to abortion, she did not take action to overturn Roe v. Wade. O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006.

Sonia Sotomayor made history when she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009. Sotomayor was the first Latina appointed to the highest court in the United States. As a Supreme Court justice, Sotomayor has often sided with other liberal justices. She has expressed strong opinions on social issues involving race, gender, and ethnicity. In 2015, in Obergefell v. Hodges, Sotomayor voted with the majority in the 5–4 ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.