IntroductionWomen have traditionally been overshadowed in historical studies. Before the turn of the 20th century in America, women were not major policy makers and were relegated to the private sphere. Religion also pushed women to the margins. It was only with Vatican II that women were able to have even a small part in the Roman Catholic mass. Analyzing religious life and trends, women were simply not part of active official practice. Politics and religion are two major areas of historical study, but they dismiss half the population due to the limited involvement of women. Women who dedicated their lives to God, however, entered a semi-public sphere available for study today. Nuns were women who found agency and a path to agency through religion and devotion to God. There were many religious orders, groups of women who follow a “Rule” and live in communities for God (Wolfe 31). Dominicans have provided these opportunities especially to women of diverse backgrounds throughout the United States. Dominic of Guzman founded the Dominicans in 1215 after the approval of Pope Honorius III (Wolfe 35). They are founded on the four pillars of prayer, study, community and preaching. Initially a European organization, the Dominicans crossed the Atlantic with waves of immigrants in the 19th century (Kohler 53). The Dominicans allowed women to dedicate their lives to God while they studied. The other options available to women of the time were extremely limited. Neither “official” worship of God nor study beyond childhood would have been accessible to women outside the confines of a convent. The nuns also taught young children, integrating themselves into the daily lives of their neighbors. The... middle of paper... The story of the Dominican Sisters of Racine, Wisconsin. Milwaukee: Bruce Pub., 1962. Hathi Trust. Web.Life of Mother M. Camilla Madden, OSD Adrian, MI: Sisters of St. Dominic, nd Hathi Trust. Web."Making God Know, Love, and Serve: The Future of Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in the United States." Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice 11.3 (2008): 276. Academic OneFile. Web.Thompson, Margaret Susan. “Adaptation and Professionalization: Challenges to Teaching Nuns in Pluralistic Nineteenth-Century America.” Pedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education 49.4 (2013): 454-70. Taylor and Francis online. Network. February 17, 2014.Wolfe, Mary Catherine. A mind and a heart in God: Dominican monastic life. West Springfield, MA: Conference of Nuns of the Order of Preachers of the United States of America, 1989. Print.