Role of Woman During the Revolutionary War

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).

Women are frequently overlooked when it comes to history in the 18th centuries. They were there in the flesh for all of the historical events, but they are rarely mentioned. Everyone has heard of the “Founding Fathers”, but students rarely hear about the “Founding Mothers” in their curriculum. Although women did not directly plan out our government, they still deserve to be given some credit for it. The roles that women played during the Revolutionary War greatly influenced the outcome of the war and the country that resulted from it.

Divorce from marriage would break the bounds of normality for this time period. Traditionally, women were stay at home who tended to the children, house chores, and duties when needed.

Since the Revolutionary War, women have been seen as inferior to men, a status that was especially clear in the lack of legal rights for women [1]. Women’s’ rights has been an issue that is still fought today with the struggles of being treated equally against men. In 1779, Judith Sargent Murray, was an essayist in support for women’s rights, once wrote that “women’s minds were as good as men’s and that girls as well as boys, therefore deserved access to education” [1]. Women were very domesticated by their husbands in this era which most men believed that a women’s only place was to maintain the household and taking care of children. The war gave some women the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to show responsibilities regarded as a

The impact of African Americans during the American Revolution could be noted on both sides of the War. This is based on their want for freedom. Many took advantage of the revolutionary crisis and

Women, African Americans, and foreigners all had a role in the American Revolution. During the revolution, many white, American colonists were away fighting for America’s freedom. Help in the war effort was not limited to those individuals, however. Women, African Americans, and foreigners all helped out. According to “American Athenas: Women in the Revolution” by Tina Ann Nguyen, “Despite their low positions in society, women did participate” (Document 2). This explicitly informs the reader that women participated in the revolution. Regarding African Americans’, in “The Revolution’s Black Soldiers”, Robert Selig includes, “During the winter of 1777-78, dozens of black Virginians served in every one of the state regiments, freezing, starving and dying at Valley Forge” (Document 5). Selig’s words provides the readers with information about some African Americans who were in Virginia’s regiments.

Women serving in the military is a topic that most people have very strong convictions on. Rather you are for or against women serving, you can find strong opinions that support both sides in this contentious dispute. Women have struggled to fit into the military life for years. Even though woman have fought alongside men in each key battle from the start of the American Revolution, they still find it hard to shake the stereo types about woman who serve. Woman have always had to cloak themselves in a masquerade of sorts to serve alongside men. When woman were finally accepted into the military, they were given secondary roles to the men. The Pentagon has just recently began to realize that gender really do not matter on the battlefield. Since the Pentagons enlightenment, one can now see progress in the integration of women in all expanding military careers. Women have always proven that they are not only an asset to the military but they are the strength of the America’s military.

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).

Women from all over the world have been faced with many difficult problems since the beginning of time. Women in the past have had to fight for their rights of education, freedom, sexual choices, and their freedom to work. Women today still face problems because of their gender, but times are slowly but surely changing. Before the Revolution women had no say in any activities they participated in. Women had to obey their husbands, give them sex whenever they wanted, had no choice over reproductive patterns, were strictly in charge of taking care of the house and children, and were not allowed to leave the homestead. Joan R. Gundersen argues that the women of the American Revolution gained more than they had lost. She believed at that time the greatest changes appeared enhancing the lives of everyday women.

Another, more direct, example of women’s political influence emerged nearing the later years of the revolution. As the conflict dragged on, and resources became scarce for the Patriot soldiers,

The American Revolution was the war that formed America. Many years ago, Brittan controlled America. They were tyrannical people that didn’t give fair rights to the colonizers in America. The common people formed a militia to fight against England. It started out with small riots and things like the Boston Tea Party. The fist battles of the war were in the towns of Lexington and Concord. The English army fought and won many of the battles in America. Eventually England was defeated and America gained their independence. They made General George Washington their president, and he led them to become a strong nation. Eventually they made the Constitution which made laws that protected the people’s rights, so they wouldn’t become tyrannical

Women were not allowed to join the military, so they disguised themselves as men. These female soldiers would cut their hair, bind their breast with bandages, and adopt masculine names.10 Deborah Sampson was a famous female soldier and she served for a whole year before she was discovered.11 According to the National Women’s History Museum website, most female spies worked as cooks and maids for the British and American military camps where they eavesdropped on conversations about troop movements, military plans, supply shortages and deliveries.12 Lydia Darragh was a Quaker, and her religious beliefs prevented her from getting involved in war.13 For this reason, the British used her house for meetings. At one of these meetings, she overheard the British talking about a surprise attack on George Washington and his men at a nearby camp. She personally delivered the information to Washington's troop, turning a British victory into disappointment.14 Many of these women were compensated for their

The American Revolution played a significant role in lives of nearly every person in America. Most men left their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters in charge of farms and businesses when they left to fight in the Patriot armies. There were many men, who had no farms or businesses, left their women with absolutely nothing to fall back on. This led to a significant increase in the population of impoverished women in several cities and towns. Due to the ongoing war, there were many price increases that these women simply could not afford. Some would riot and loot for food, while others would lead popular protests. “In New Jersey and Staten Island, women launched

The American Revolutionary War affected everyone, the African Americans, men and women. The African Americans were willing to fight in the war

During the American Revolution, men were often thought to have been the only ones to fight and participate in the war. While men were the majority that fought in the actual war, women were left to tend to all of the duties left by men, as well as, their own duties. Women were the backbone of towns, farms, and other businesses during the war. The book, Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin, shares the stories of what women went through during the Revolutionary War. Carol Berkin writes about what all the women, no matter what race or political beliefs, went through during the war, and how these women handled the war.