Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney's First Colonial Woman

In each image, I picked, I looked up how women were viewed in their culture and throughout the years. The first image I choose is the chief lady of Pomeiooc and her daughter. In 1585, the image was drawn by John White, who was an English traveler and the founder/ governor of the “lost Colony” of Roanoke (Carolina Algonquian tribe in eastern North Carolina). North Carolina was inhabited by a number of native tribes that share some culture traits. At the time more than thirty Native American tribes were living in North Carolina. They spoke languages derived from three language groups, the Siouan, Iroquoian, and Algonquian. The next image is a cartoon called “a society of patriotic ladies” by the British print on 1774. On October 1774, Edenton

In First Generations Women in Colonial America, Carol Berkin demonstrates the social, political, and economic circumstances that shaped and influenced the lives of women during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the colonies. In exploring these women’s lives and circumstances it becomes clear that geography, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, and other factors less fixed such as war each influenced a woman’s experience differently and to varying degrees. In doing this, Berkin first showcases the life of a specific woman and then transposes that life onto the general historical framework and provides a context in which this woman would have lived. The lives of these women exemplified is also explored and demonstrated through the use of comparison to highlight their different experiences. Moreover, this analysis also seeks to identify the varied sources of these women’s power, albeit for many this power was limited. The analysis is broken up primarily by geography, then by race, and lastly by time and war. While these factors provide the overarching context of analysis, more specific factors are also introduced.

During the time of 1600-1700’s women did not have the same rights as men in other words they did not have any rights at all. Women were treated very poorly with no type of respect. In the book called FIRST Generations WOMEN in COLONIAL AMERICA, by Carol Berkin it talked about various examples of how women were treated. Throughout my essay I will be explaining a few topics that were repeatedly in the book and I found important. Huge topic like gender roles, women population, and men being privilege. It was not easy for women around this time era, because they had to deal with a lot of hurtful things. Women were doing things we would not to today just so they can survive. Even though some women by becoming a mother meant to die soon.

First Generations: Women in Colonial America was written by Carol Berkin in 1996. The book was printed in the United States of America. It was published simultaneously in Canada by HarperCollinsCanadaLtd. It was designed by Abby Kagan. It includes bibliographical references and an index.

During the American colonial period, the presence of patriarchy was undeniable in both the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Chesapeake colony, but little is known about the important roles that women filled. Although there were many shared roles among women in both colonies, their level of importance in the success of their colonies differed. The Massachusetts Bay Colony women were more essential to the success of their colony than the women of the Chesapeake colony, especially with regards to its economy, education, and religion.

Women did not have an easy life during the American Colonial period. Before a woman reached 25 years of age, she was expected to be married with at least one child. Most, if not all, domestic tasks were performed by women, and most domestic goods and food were prepared and created by women. Women performed these tasks without having any legal acknowledgment. Although women had to endure many hardships, their legal and personal lives were becoming less restricted, although the change was occurring at a snail’s pace.

Colonial women spent most of their life bearing children and most of their adult life raising them . There were some large families of ten to fifteen children, but the average family had six or seven. Many children died from disease in infancy or early childhood (only about half of Colonial infants reached adulthood ). The daughters of Colonial women were trained to be wives and mothers. The girls helped with cooking,

( Berkin 130). She shows such authority through her role as not only a woman but in the business of running plantations. She served as "a consciousness of self and a confidence in reason" according to Berkin (134). Pinckney got confidence in herself and was successful ( 164). Berkin shares that Pinckney’s generation was a "social class shattered the unity of gender in colonial American society" (164).

Women in colonial America played revolutionary roles. They played roles that were always changing. “All men are created equal.” It’s the basis in which America was built, but what about the women? Without women, men wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. But what exactly did women do? Well, different races had different roles to play within their population(WiseGEEK).

Life in the colonies was different for a female indentured servant and for a native-born female. The law forbade indentured servants to marry until they finished out their contract, which was generally about four to five years of service. Unless she found a man to uplift her contract, she would have to bear a rough beginning (Hawke 63-64). The exposure to malaria left women vulnerable to more deadly diseases, the physical work was harder in the colonies than in England due to the fact that in addition to all of the common household chores, there were also fields to tend, so many did not make it to their freedom. If they did make it to the end of their services however, they received: food, clothing, and tools to give them a start in life. The plan was for women to go into the world looking for a husband, but many married their employers, those who did not, married quickly since men outnumbered women seven to one. (64).

Elizabeth Buffum Chace was born on December 9, 1806 as Eliza Ann on Benefit Street in Providence Rhode Island. However, she did not live in Rhode Island for long, her father’s work moved her and her family all over New England and she spent most of her time in Smithfield, Rhode Island with her father’s parents. During the 1800’s, Elizabeth Buffum Chace was an active abolitionist and suffragist in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Elizabeth Buffum Chace belonged to the “Fall River Female Anti-Slave Society” and the “Society of Friends (Quaker Anti-Slavery in Newport, Rhode Island) Throughout her years as an abolitionist, Elizabeth Buffum Chace harbored fugitive slaves, helped organize a Female Anti-Slavery Society in Fall River, Massachusetts,

Born in New York on May 27, 1818, Amelia’s powers were immediately evident. Her home was modest, and her family even more so; she lived with her mother, father, sister, and a bachelor uncle whose income helped offset the costs of raising a family. But, shortly after her birth, her uncle took one look at her and fled the house without a word. He was seen again, years later in the Burnt-Over District, preaching against women’s rights, but he never spoke another word to Amelia’s family.

Judge Cady wanted his daughters to marry men that became familiar with the law, but instead she married secretly Henry Stanton a social reformer in 1840; also went into law to get along with his wife’s parents. They had 7 children in total, 2 girls and 5 boys (Salisbury). Shortly, the Stanton’s traveled to London for an Anti-Slavery Convention and talked more about the participation of women which was denied by the council; Henry Stanton made a huge speech to let women contribute in the meeting but he voted not to let women get involved. Elizabeth met Lucretia Mott and promised to “form a society to advocate the rights of woman” (Salisbury). The Stanton’s moved to Massachusetts and there were more social, cultural, political opportunities (Salisbury). Therefore in every aspect she did, Stanton will do it with pride. For example housekeeping, cooking also any other jobs a woman

Abigail Adams faced many hardships throughout her life. She was the daughter of a minister and had two sisters and a brother. In the 1700’s, children did not have a high survival rate due to the amount of diseases and nothing to treat them with. Abigail Adams said in her old age that she “was always sick” (Akers 5). This reminds people how tough life was in the 1700’s and how easy it was to pass away from a mere cold. Abigail also did not have any education growing up. Women, in the colonial era, were not supposed to have an education and were supposed to watch the kids, cook, and clean. Readers of this book learn that many women back then were illiterate and were self-taught, if they had any education. Abigail did find a love for literature due to her sister’s spouse, Richard Cranch. He influenced her love for literature at a young age and she started to become more literate. Along with the disease and educational deficiency, women were considered as property. A young woman could either give up

She argues that “although the founding members of female religious orders were often close . . . four women who were sisters in blood, as well as religion, made for a particularly united front.” This unity inevitably contributed to both the congregation and the colony’s success. Javouhey’s brother, Pierre Javouhey, and her cousins, Louis and Léopold Javouhey, all accompanied her to French Guiana. Javouhey attempted to place her male relatives in positions that provided her with allies while giving them work. For example, in 1839, she wrote to the Minister of the Navy, naming Louis Javouhey and his two sons as her aides. Javouhey’s use of family structure to accomplish her goals extended beyond her blood. During both her attempts at colonizing Mana, in her letters and reports, she frequently referred to the colonists as members of ‘[her] family.’ Commenting on the utility and authority familial hierarchies, she stated, “La loi eût échoué faute d'être comprise et d'avoir trop souvent à punir là où l'autorité bienveillante de la famille devait être toute puissante. L'établissement de Mana a donc été considéré comme une famille dont les Sœurs de Saint-Joseph étaient les grands parents et la Mère Supérieure le chef. Cette manière d'envisager les choses a eu les plus heureux résultats.” Consequently, Javouhey both addressed and treated the slaves under her authority as her ‘adoptive children.’ As the ‘mother’ of the slaves, Javouhey exercised considerable influence and authority over and instilled loyalty within them. By December of 1828, mere months after her arrival in French Guiana, she noted that if anyone outside of the Sœurs de Saint-Joseph de Cluny were to attempt to replace her at Mana, it would be difficult because “les colons ne veulent que nous pour chefs.” After the abolition