How The American Revolution Affected Women

During the American Revolution, not only did men have to face the struggles of war time atmosphere, but women had to as well. The country during the war was divided into three different groups of people; the loyalists, the patriots and the remaining people who did not care. Catherine Van Cortlandt, a loyalist had to endure different struggles then the patriot women Eliza Pinckney and Abigail Adams. However, parts of their stories are similar when it came to their family struggles.

From the social viewpoint the war changed the lives and rights of women all across the United States. Many of the husbands left to fight in the Revolutionary war leaving countless women in charge of farms and businesses, roles which they were not accustomed to. Although the war did little to change women’s rights, in some states it did become possible for women to divorce and in new jersey women even obtained the right to vote which was way out of the ordinary in that time. Before the war both men and women viewed the wife as an obedient and serving spouse that raised the children and took care of the house. But the revolution encouraged people of both genders to reconsider the contribution of women to the family and society.

The role of women played in any given war is quite often severely underestimated. This sentiment especially goes for the American Revolutionary War, where women actually played an absolutely essential role in our victory against the British. Not only where there different types of women who had helped, but there were many different ways each of them helped--particularly as nurses to help save lives and tend to injured soldiers. Without women helping in the war, we would have most certainly lost (National History Education Clearinghouse).

     The revolution also changes the status of women in the 15 years following the American Revolution. There was a push to allow for better women’s education. In 1789, Massachusetts passed a law insisting elementary schools be open to both girls and boys. Girls from rich families had the ability to receive a good education on subjects including math, history and geography. A large advocate of women’s education was Judith Sargent Murray, who argued men and women had equal intellectual abilities, but women’s lack of chances is what made them appear inferior. Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, also called for legal reform in order to prevent male tyranny over women. Some even went further and called for the right of women to vote. This was still denied to women, however, and it would not be over 100 years later until they were granted this right. Despite some small advances for women’s rights, there was still a notion of inferiority to men.

Women generally did not fight in the revolution, and the traditional status of Eighteenth Century women meant that they were not publicly able to participate fully in the debates over the revolution. However, in their own sphere, and sometimes out of it, woman participated fully in the revolution in all the ways that their status and custom allowed.

The American Revolution, which happened during the last half of the eighteenth century, reshaped many aspects of life in America. The desire of the Founding Fathers to make America a republic played a very significant part in changing the role of women after the Revolution. The role of women as wives became more important as an emphasis on virtue was established; women were encouraged to find virtuous husbands and utilize their seductive nature to keep men virtuous. The roles of women as mothers also became more important in the republic, as patriarchy loosened and mothers were depended on to educate their children in the republican way. And finally, the role of women in politics was theoretically reduced due to the increasing demands of

Carol Berkin clearly states her thesis in the introduction of Revolutionary Mothers. “Despite the absence of radical changes in gender ideology and gender roles for most women, the Revolution did lend legitimacy to new ideas about women’s capacities and their proper roles”. (Berkin 2005) In two thousand and fourteen it is questionable about how clearly women’s roles have changed especially in the areas of economics and politics at least it is obvious that the revolution did not bring equality.

The role of women in the Early Republic is a topic mostly overlooked by historians when dealing with this era of American history. The triumphs of the Revolution and the early events of the new nation were done solely by men. However, women had their own political societies and even participated in the Revolution. Women's roles began to take a major turn after the war with Great Britain. This was due in part to their involvement in the war and female patriotism. Others believed it was due to the easier access to formal education for young women. Whatever the reason, it inspired women to challenge the social structure of the Early Republic. The roles of women were changing in the Early Republic. However, progress was slow and little change

Although the change for women was minimal, it was definitely present. “The revolution did generate some new ideas that began, very slowly, to open new opportunities for women to escape the constrictions of the traditional household” (Taylor 15), and they often found these openings through ‘teaching jobs’. These ‘teaching jobs’ were due to the new nation stressing the essential vast knowledge of any male leader or citizen, and being that the women are the one teaching these males (at a younger age), they have to get a good education and gain more knowledge as well in order to pass it down. This process was known as ‘Republican Motherhood’, offering “a larger place for women in society” (Taylor 16). Soon enough, women began claiming “a right and a duty to speak out on public issues that affected their children , so that they could better raise virtuous sons...

Although both the Revolution and the formation of the Constitution did little to change any of the legal rights for women, it did make some advances. In some states it became easier for women to get divorced, and in New Jersey women even earned the right to vote (the right to vote was repealed in 1807). The Revolutionary experience also encouraged

In my thesis, I contend that the Industrial Revolution impacted women because women in the working and poor classes were a key labor force in mills and factories, they supported their role as the backbone of the household economy by completing housework in the middle class, and finally the Industrial Revolution made an impact on the contributions of ideas made by women.

The fact is that women contributed to this inheritance by bringing their own money into the marriage, investing, and working themselves. The Revolution helped women in this respect in that when the men were gone women were able to open up their own businesses, mostly shops and taverns.

There have been many stereotypical views and misconceptions about the role of women during and after the age of revolutions. Although the role of women did change, it is important to understand their position before the revolutions in order to wager how their role changed and of course, to what extent. It would be unrealistic to assume that all women during this period fell into one category. There are many factors to consider and so it is vital to address how different types of women behaved in their varied working and living environments.

French Revolution laid the fertile ground for the promulgation of civil rights which ceased to exist prior to the revolution, more importantly the rights of the less privileged, women. The French’s patriarchal society was held prejudice against women, thus when women’s clubs and political associations formed during this period was notable for its capabilities to promulgate political enfranchisement for women. In this essay, I would discuss in-depth the banning of women’s clubs and political associations during the French Revolution from 1789 to 1799. I would be focusing on the political roles women undertook during the Revolution, and the reasons for the subsequent denial of women’s political participation.

Before the revolution, women in France had a really tough time living a good life. Women’s oppression was a major factor in Les Miserables. For instance, when Fantine is talking to the Thenadiers and says, “You see I cannot take my child into the country. Work forbids it. With a child I could not find a place there…it will not be long before I come back. Will you keep my child for me?”(Les Miserables, Book Four, Ch.1). This illustrates that women could not get a job out of wedlock. It also shows how far people would go to live a good life. Women had an even harder life than men did insofar as they got lower pay and had an even harder time getting jobs. Some women even went as far as selling their bodies, hair, and even teeth for money. Another thing a lot of women did was become prostitutes to the degree that it was the only possible way for them to earn some money. Even though a lot of women had to drop down low enough to sell the bodies for money, prostitution was still illegal. People might say that women had an even harder life than children. Every single thing in life was difficult for women; there was no abortion or protection so the chance of women, especially prostitutes, getting pregnant was insane. Most women could not support themselves so if they had children the only thing they could do was give them up which explains why there was so many orphans