▁cultural ▁history , ▁which ▁emphas izes ▁language ▁and ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁belief s ▁and ▁assumptions ▁and ▁their ▁caus al ▁role ▁in ▁group ▁behavior . ▁ ▁Women ' s ▁history ▁ ▁Women ' s ▁history ▁( and ▁closely ▁related ▁topics ▁in ▁gender ▁history ) ▁have ▁become ▁a ▁major ▁field ▁since ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s . E lean or ▁Am ico , ▁ed . ▁Re ader ' s ▁Guide ▁to ▁Women ' s ▁Studies ▁( 1 9 9 7 ) ▁ ▁The ▁field ▁had ▁been ▁almost ▁totally ▁neglect ed ▁in ▁academic ▁history ▁depart ments ▁before ▁ 1 9 7 0 . ▁A part ▁from ▁individual ▁women , ▁working ▁largely ▁on ▁their ▁own , ▁the ▁first ▁organized ▁system atic ▁efforts ▁to ▁develop ▁women ' s ▁history ▁came ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁D augh ters ▁of ▁the ▁Confeder acy ▁( U DC ) ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁It ▁coordin ated ▁efforts ▁across ▁the ▁South ▁to ▁tell ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁the ▁women ▁on ▁the ▁Confeder ate ▁home ▁front , ▁while ▁the ▁male ▁histor ians ▁spent ▁their ▁time ▁with ▁batt les ▁and ▁gener als . ▁The ▁women ▁emphas ized ▁female ▁activ ism , ▁initi ative , ▁and ▁leadership . ▁They ▁reported ▁that ▁when ▁all ▁the ▁men ▁left ▁for ▁war , ▁the ▁women ▁took ▁command , ▁found ▁ers atz ▁and ▁substitute ▁food s , ▁redis cover ed ▁their ▁old ▁traditional ▁skills ▁with ▁the ▁spin ning ▁wheel ▁when ▁factory ▁cloth ▁became ▁un available , ▁and ▁ran ▁all ▁the ▁farm ▁or ▁plant ation ▁operations .