Gender Roles During The Reconstruction Era

During the reconstruction era, the women’s right was shaped. As explained in chapter 6 reconstruction period was a term that was use to describe the history after the civil war. America was in the process of building its nation back up from the war, which included the writing of the amendment, constitution and the rights for African American and women. In addition, the word reconstruction can also covers the period in U.S history, when the U.S economy was completely constituted on industrial capitalism. Even though the slave trade may have ended, there came to be a matter of workers being paid little for their hard labor. Yes, the U.S economy was building but it was not being shared equally. In fact, the gap between the rich and poor was so huge that it created tension between workers and owners. After slavery was eliminated, society could no longer ignore the division in class. It was during this time women started to reconstruct their lives as well. In 1865 up until 1866, women’s right activist called for the suffrage to be joined with African American and women.

In an article by Gizelis, the authors states “Civil wars destroy the previous social, economic, and political structures, and lead to tremendous changes in individual social identities and cultural practices.” Many of the standard patriarchal gender roles remained the same in the Reconstruction such as the woman took care of the house and children while the men were the breadwinners and in control. The difference is in this period, freed African-American men adopted the gender role of Caucasian men, and women began to fight for the chance of an education and the right to vote. The Reconstruction Era hosted the creation of several organizations as well as individuals to fight for the rights of women and minority men.

Not all Southerners felt the same way about Reconstruction. Some did not like it and some were okay with it. Some whites embraced the new land in the South, and others reacted hostility. And they feared social and political change. An article called, “Journal of Kate Stone”, is about a young white Southern girl who kept little journal entries about everything that was happening during the Reconstruction era. She talked about how the Northerners disliked the Southerners. The Fifteenth Amendment also failed to give women their voting rights. So “Elizabeth Cady and Susan B. Anthony condemned the Republicans’ “negro first” strategy and pointed out that women remained “the only class of citizens wholly unrepresented in the government”” (Roark 426). This is how the women acted towards not being able to having the right to vote back then. Activist women stated that women should not trust in man. The Fifteenth Amendment played as the early feminist movement from its abolitionist roots. And these feminists established a suffrage crusade that attracted millions of women into the political

They were also the first state to elect a female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross. The campaign for the woman rights didn’t commence till before the Civil War. Women participated in temperance clubs, religious movements and moral-reform societies, anti slavery organizations. It was not just voting rights. The ideal submissive, stay at home women was changing. They developed a need to be hardworking, independent, studious.

The American Civil War started in 1861 and took place for a few days shy of four years. At this point in time, the men and young men of age took to the battlefield while women and children sat at home. However, the initial question arises: why weren’t women allowed to fight in the first place? More than anything it was just simply the signs of the times. Women were not perceived as equals in any way, shape, or stretch of imagination during this period of time. Women were mostly

For Civil War women in the 1860s it was predictable wisdom that a “woman’s place is in the home,” but the Civil War challenged this view. There were many women who played an important role in the Civil War. It is normal to think the Civil War was a man’s fight. However during the war, many women challenged the role of the women and took on different roles. While the men marched off to war, the women had to work hard and try to provide for their families. Women became doctors, spies, nurses, couriers, and even soldiers.

The roles women had were vital to the end result of the Civil War. By contributing their skills in the field of nursing and aiding the war effort by being on the battlefield, ladies saved the lives of many men. With these women pushing so hard, the gender barriers were bound to crumble eventually. Now, due to the incredible efforts of women throughout history, girls today have the chance to make their own decisions and live their own

Before the Civil War even started, women were already fighting for their rights. Many started out as abolitionists, but eventually joined the movement for women’s suffrage. The movement continued to grow throughout the 19th century, while at times uniting with the anti-slavery movements in order to fight for the ultimate right of voting. When the 14th and 15th amendment were passed after the civil war, the women were blindsided when only black men were granted the right to vote and they were not even mentioned. Immediately after these amendments, a great divide between the women’s suffrage movement and abolitionists. Although it was necessary for the black men to secure their rights, because if they do not they might not be able to attain them

Back in the nineteenth century men and women were not treated equally as they are now. Women did not have as much freedom as the men did and that caused a national movement. Not only were the women segregated from the men, but the discrimination against the African American race was a huge ordeal as well. With both movements combined, it led to a controversial development at that time. Not only were women fighting for equality, they were also fighting for the prejudice to end amongst the different races. The beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement and the Abolitionist Movement was not only a historic development, but it changed the world forever.

Women’s role has evolved through time and it is clear that women did history, but they are not always portrayed in the history books. That is why it is important to analyze the roles of women and their participation during the Civil War. This was an important event that marked a change the role of women in society. There are narratives and records of how women experienced, and contributed during the Civil War. The women from the North, South, elite and poorer social status, they all had different perspectives, rights, and roles. These women were involved in many aspects of the economy, policy, and social services. There is one in particular, Clara Barton, who did an amazing work during the war and then she was inspired to found the American Red Cross.

The demand for independence and equality were perhaps the most driving catalysts of the American Revolution, but given that these ideals only applied to white men at the time, I wonder how many women imagined that they would ever enjoy such liberties. In the nineteenth century, it was assumed that the natural order of society dictated that men and women were predestined to live out their lives as they always had. Women were expected to be submissive, obedient, and subservient to the men around them. Women 's struggle for equality has been a long-fought battle and continues into the present time. Those who began the crusade for women’s rights in the mid-1800s courageously defied the status quo of their time to forge the way for women to participate in every way they aspired to do so, standing up for what they believed and showing the world that women were competent, capable, and intelligent. This paper will explore how women’s role in society was transformed during the period leading up to the Civil War, providing a snapshot of the courageous people and events that shaped the futures of women in America.

In the decades before the civil war it was entirely common for society and women themselves to assign a more subordinate role to women. Women cooked cleaned, nurtured and everything society deemed fit. The civil war however shaped women up to be much more than that. The civil war was not the first time we had seen women

In the past the women of America did not have the same rights or luxuries as the men, instead women were only allowed to stay home and take care of their duties such as housewife, mother and maid. They were not allowed to take part in politics or decision making, they could only dream of such things like being a leader or having a voice that the nation could hear and respect or having the right to vote. It’s hard to imagine such a world like that even existed in the past considering so many leaders in todays world are women. However, this would have never been possible if it weren't for women standing up and fighting for what they believed they were entitled too; women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony these two women

After the emancipation of slaves, the black man tried to take the role of head of the household. The black man expected their wives to take care of him, the children, and his household. Not only that but the woman was expected to do all of that and at the same time help the husband financially. Yes, the wife was expected to find a job and do all of the other necessary things for the house.

The women had to handle multiple things at once while making sure she was still in her right mind. Some of them did not know how to handle it because they did not have power over anything. When the women started working in the work force it was a big transition for them. It hit the lower class of women, being that their husbands could not afford slaves, the women had to go out and work in the factories. It was easier for women in the north to adjust but women in the South had to adjust to a lot. They had to take of the children, home, and make ends meet. Even though the men were far away from the women, they still communicated through letters. They were very assertive in the letters and made sure that the women knew that they were still in charge. The gender roles also impacted the children of the families. There was only one parent in the house, therefore the children had to take some of the work. They had to work in factories and take some of the pressure off the women. More weight was put on the sons because they were next of kin. I do feel as if gender roles have equaled out. There are still people today who feel that certain genders should do certain things, but it is a new century. The sources I used were helpful