​​National Extension Homemakers Council Oral History Project​ collection, 1977-1984

Starting in 1862 with the Morrill Act of 1862, the United States government attempted to create more equal access to higher education for working class citizens, setting off a chain reaction that would see several acts being passed over the years that benefit agricultural-based institutions (oftentimes referred to as "land-grant institutions"). The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 created a Cooperative Extension Service associated with each land-grant institution, aimed at taking the research that was being done at institutions and translating it into real world applications. Alongside this development, the Home Demonstrations Clubs, focused on the home economics side, bringing education to rural women, would gain funding and begin to expand rapidly. These clubs would provide valuable knowledge, as well as personal connection. Today they are still a part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), with chapters in several states.

In 1982, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a major grant to the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC) for a three-year, nationwide effort to collect, process and disseminate representative oral histories. Entitled 'Voices of American Homemakers, The project combined extensive volunteer effort with careful attention to the professional canons of oral history practice. Professional historians guided the effort throughout, offering substantive perspectives on women's history and technical counsel on oral history. The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 instituted cooperation between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and land grant colleges across the United States to develop public demonstrations on home economics. Clubs emerged as a result of these demonstrations and community participation. The National Home Demonstration Council was formed in 1936, and changed their name to the National Extension Homemakers Council in 1963.