The Controversy Of Historiography

Over decades women has always suffered from discrimination and the lax of rights. In the past puritans men were the only one who had benefits; however women play most of the roles. Massachusetts Bay Colony was a place where the masculine sex ruled, female opinion wasn't given importance at all. The Puritans were really strict people and they believed that women weren't capable of contributing any information to the town and church meetings.

In history most women did not work, men were the breadwinners of the household and women took care of the children, cooked, and cleaned. There were specific expectations of women to listen, be respectful, and be pretty much be obedient to their husband or father when growing up. I was also raised on those old-fashioned values that were, never be outspoken, rude and obnoxious like most boys are. Since those old traditions were carried out for so long and are still upheld in some lives today, this is what started building the barrier that blocks women from being treated

The Enlightened Archaeologist – an article authored by Jeffrey Hantman and Gary Dunham chronicles Thomas Jefferson’s investigation of the Indian burial mound located on the South Fork of the Rivanna River in the 18th century. The site excavated by Jefferson, however, is no longer visible, most likely due to dissipation by inevitable natural occurrences (I.E. excessive rainfall, flooding rivers, etc.) or human activity such as farming. The “Father of American Archaeology” correctly predicts the latter in his book, Notes on the State of Virginia, in which he states, mounds “…put under cultivation are much reduced in their height, and spread in width, by the plough, and will probably disappear in time” (1787). Fortunately for Archaeologists of the late 20th century (1988) an Indian burial mound identical to that of the one Jefferson described in his book was uncovered just 14 miles from the South Fork of the Rivanna River.

Over the past five hundred years or so in america as the overall majority in Mankind, women comprise of the largest group in the world, but they are a vital asset in every aspect of our society. Woman and women's rights are tied hand in hand with american culture, which entails in these rights that they're dependent of social status, race, and geography in america like civil rights in the south. There were different types of economic changes for the different types of ethiniticities in America in which there were different of turning point that women won over their sufferage through their racial discrimination, these included the native american women, hispanic american, african americans and the chinese american women of the united states.

As the years progressed from the 1700s into the 1800s, women started to see that they were not treated as equal as men even though they could do anything men could. During the late 1800s was when women first started to fight for more rights and equality. They started forming more and more women groups, and even went on labor strikes to protest the diversity. Although it seemed that as hard as they tried to gain this equality, the harder it was for them to obtain it. They were treated horribly and unequally to men. While African American men received the power to vote in 1870, women still did not have a chance at that right. Even though many people disagree that women were treated fairly, the studies show that they were discriminated against. The treatment of women in the late 1800s was discriminatory because they

Although there were many common factors within the institution of slavery for both men and women there were also circumstances that were unique to women. “The first slaves to be brought to the British colonies of North America were disproportionately male. Considered more valuable workers because of their strength, enslaved men performed labors that ranged from building houses to plowing fields. When the Dutch brought African and Creole women into New Amsterdam in the late 1620s, they did so not to supplement their workforce, but to provide company for their black male slaves” (Hallan, 2004). This tells us that from the beginning the African woman was less valuable and her treatment by the slave owners was a direct reflection of this.

The way European women were treated in the nineteenth century is very different than the way women are treated in the twentieth century today. Women in the nineteenth century were thought more of as objects or something to look at instead of people. Men were always superior to women. It is not the same in the United States during twentieth century as it was in Europe during the nineteenth century. Race and sexuality plays a huge role in the superiority of genders. By the end of the nineteenth century there were multiple challenges toward sending gender norms.

Since the beginnings of American society, the life of a woman has fluctuated wildly. Between the American Revolution and the Civil War women still never fully had the same rights as men (not even close). But, after the American Revolution, Republican Motherhood-an ideal that put women solely in the position as mothers with the task of teaching and guiding children to instill in them the virtues of a good citizen- became very popular among middle/high class white women. Lower class and minority women weren’t able to embrace Republican Womanhood because of their roles in society. African American women were mostly slaves and lower class women of all races couldn’t provide a domestic lifestyle for their families because of their financial situations.

Americans have not lived up to the ideal set forth because people don’t understand how it feels to be someone other than themselves. For example in the 1920s Bessie Smith was not only a woman but she was a black women and she was the most famous blues singer of her decade. (Placard H, the twenties). In 1776 Abigail Adams wrote “ Remember the ladies” and in this letter she said “ I long to hear that you have declared independency” She wrote this to her husband who was John Adams who was a member of the continental congress.(This day in history, Abigail Adams, History.com) . She wrote this letter because she believed that women werent being treated equaly and she was right.To this day women and girls arent as equal as men or boys are. Reasons why? Because being called a girl is an insult to men because they don't know how its actually feels to be a girl or a women. Bessie Smith had proved the men of her time that that's not true. Now its time for women of this century to prove them wrong as well.

Women have always had the short end of the stick, whether it was with voting, home life, or working. They were never shown the respect that they deserved or earned. They worked hard and were never repaid for their work. In the early colonial period, women were treated differently based off their wealth and religion, and after men started making laws, they gained nothing. Women went from having an unspecified class status in the early colonial period to second class status by the early republic era because men wrote the laws.

If you were born right now, this instant, at you’re present age without any knowledge about how women used to be treated, the assumption could be made that men and women are basically equal. Yes, men are a little stronger physically, but overall the two sexes are both equal. Things weren’t always so picturesque, though. Since people first settled here, on what is now the United States of America, women were thought of as inferior. Ever so slowly though, the men’s view on women began to change. The change started in the 1920’s but it was going slowly and needed a catalyst. World War II was that catalyst. So much so that women ended up participating in the rise of the United States to a global power.

During the colonial era, white women saw little change in how they were viewed in society. The only thing that society saw the colonial women doing was to “devote their lives to being good wives and mothers” (GML 126). Women had no voice in their households, men were the leaders of the home, and women took care of the children and the house. In politics, colonial women had no say, they were considered under control of their husbands, thus giving them no right to be involved in political matters. When the Townshend Act was put in place, many women sewed at home to save on having to buy new clothes. Because of this very small “rebellion” against this act, The Daughters of Liberty was founded, it was comprised of “women that wove and spun at home” (GML 184). Compared to the colonial women, Native American women had a much greater involvement in society. The Native American women, like colonial women, were mostly in charge of the household. Along with taking care of the household, the women were working in the field. This was not taken well by the Europeans, many of the white men thought that Native men were weak, because the women worked. Unlike the non-existent role that colonial women had in

Women were always seen as being inferior or “weak” to men; that they couldn’t do the same things men did because they lacked the physical strength to do so. Because women were physically inferior, it became easy to oppress them due to this difference in power.

Historically women has always been inferior to men, held at a lower standard than men. Women were looked at as being the source to evil and temptation. In Christianity Eve was the one who picked the forbidden fruit and tempted Adam to eat it as well. In the middle ages women were allowed to have their own word in the world. In the Victorian Era women were expected to partake in painting, music, or just being at home and take care of the children. “The huge majority life was easier if they accepted that a woman 's place was in the home.” In the ancient Rome civilization women did not any public rights. “They could not vote, hold public office of any kind, and they could not serve in the military”. But women were granted private rights. “A Roman woman could inherit property in her own name, own and sell her property, get a divorce, and make a will or be the beneficiary of a will.” To make these decisions women still needed permission of her male guardian her father or husband. But when Augustus ran the empire he made absurd rules that demolished the rights of women. “A woman convicted of adultery could lose up to half her property and be banished to an island. An adulterous wife could not remarry. A widow must

Women have always been seen as a lower social class than males and are therefore identified as having limited privileges and rights compared to men.