The Female American And Robinson Crusoe Analysis

As the United States was continuing recovering from the Civil War and embracing the expansion of the West, industrialization, immigration and the growth of cities, women’s roles in America were changing by the transformation of this new society. During the period of 1865-1912, women found themselves challenging to break the political structure, power holders, cultural practices and beliefs in their “male” dominated world.

Robinson Crusoe is a man who was lost in the world, stuck at home with his parents, he was expected to be a lawyer, but his heart longed for the sea. Crusoe eventually left home, without telling his parents what he planned. After several voyages, all of which were seemingly “unlucky,” he is shipwrecked on a desert island and is forced to survive with only bare necessities. Many people consider him a hero because of how he dealt with his misfortune. Some people believe that Robinson Crusoe is a likeable and admirable character, but others disagree. Robinson Crusoe is not a likeable or admirable character for three reasons: he is self-absorbed, he lacks emotion, and he is hypocritical.

After studying women and gender history in early America for the past semester, my views about American history have changed tremendously. Having very little prior experience with history, I had many assumptions and preconceived notions from high school history classes. Women were never even mentioned in my previous learning about U.S. history, so I assumed they took on unimportant roles and had little, if any, impact on shaping our country’s history. However, after this semester of delving deeply into the women of early America, I could not have been more incorrect. Although they were not typically in the public realm, we cannot fully understand history without studying women. The following readings uncovered the roles of women in the private sphere and were crucial to my new understanding of the importance of women in American history by bringing women to the forefront.

Through Women’s Eyes by Ellen Carol DuBois and Lynn Dumenil addresses American History from 1865 until present day. The third edition of this textbook includes visual and primary sources over several centuries. I used this textbook in a history course, “Women in the United States, 1890 – Present;” I found the textbook to be engaging, helpful, and useful throughout the course. The way in which in the information was presented allowed me to learn, assess, and analyze the difficulties women faced.

Women did not have many rights during 1616-1768, these three prominent women Pocahontas, Anne Hutchinson and Hannah Griffitts, will show many changes for women symbols from the Colony America, American Christianity to Boycotting British Goods. All three were involved in religious, political and cultural aspects during there time, making many changes and history. There are three documents that will be used to compare these three women Pocahontas Engraving (1616), Simon Van De Passee, The Examination of Mrs. Anne Hutchinson at the Court at Newton (1637), David D. Hall and Women’s Role In Boycotting English Goods, Hannah Griffits (1768), The Female Patriots.

Through Women's Eyes: An American History with Documents: 4th ed Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2016.:

The book offer historical analysis of women’s roles after the America revolution. The story sheds light on an enthralling and unknown side of the struggle for freedom in America

The thinking and ideas of the people of America severely changed. These social changes include the thinking of equality amongst women, and the hatred towards the British. The Declaration of Independence states that, "All men are created equal", this term did not apply to women, and this resulted in multiple groups in favor of women's rights. From the beginning of time in almost all societies women were treated as less than a man, and the education of women was very uncommon. After the revolution many women saw the new government as a time to receive their rights, and this ultimately resulted in a new image of women (Doc. A) "No one will pretend to deny, that we should be taught to read in the best manner." (Doc. J).

Perusing once more from nineteenth century working class sexual orientation parts, which consigned ladies solidly to the private universe of the home, students of history saw the white frontier lady's cooperation in a preindustrial family unit economy as empowering. A comparative propensity to romanticize the hard existence of Native American ladies differentiated their opportunity and impact with the patriarchal structure within which European ladies lived. Despite the fact that comparisons are perhaps unavoidable, they can cloud the complexities of ladies' lives both the assorted qualities that described them and the purposes of shared belief they shared. Such examinations likewise divert consideration from the historical changes that shaped these ladies' lives: the triumph of Native American, the importation and oppression of Africans, the monstrous relocation of European, and the financial and political developing of the British settlements. This period secured by the following section, the progressive time of 1750-1800, was likewise thick with changes that capably influenced the lives of

Carol Berkin is a professor at both Baruch College, and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, teaching American Colonial and Revolutionary History and also Women’s History. Berkin received her B.A. from Barnard College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. She is also the author of various books including First Generations: Women of Colonial America (1996), A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution (2001), and Civil War Wives: The Life and Times of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, and Julia Dent Grant (2009).

The article, The Cult of Womanhood: 1820 - 1860 written by Barbara Welter discusses the philosophy towards women in America during the mid 19th century. A set of demands and expectations based upon four principles: piety, purity, submission and domesticity were placed on women as well as certain behavioral expectations left 19th century women feeling guilty. It also left women feeling this way during the industrialization period as well as having a huge presence of incompatibility with society. Welter shares her viewpoint that the Cult of Womanhood was an attempt to preserve pre modern values in the industrial age. Men held a dominant place in society and continued to prevent new opportunities for women to explore. Narrow minded

First Generations: Women in Colonial America by Carol Berkin, explains to us how different seventeenth century women’s lives were from what we know today. The seventeenth century women didn’t have many civil liberties. Carol Berkin gives us a view of life experience that these Colonial women and Native American women went through. This helps us perceive why many Colonial women may have chosen to stay with their Native American captors. Seventeenth century colonial women had little civil rights, especially after being married.

The sources were necessary in order to get a closer view at the personal lives of women during the Revolutionary times. This collection of sources includes many diaries about what they did during this time and letters from waiting wives of soldiers and generals or between two women. Berkin also makes reference to many different newspaper articles, songs, and poems from that time about the women or pertaining to acts that women took part in. She also often used Women of the American Revolution by Elizabeth Ellet which was published sometime in the mid 1800s and was written more to show that the women of that time were fulfilling their rightful role of the homemaker and mother. Berkin uses Ellet’s information to demonstrate how some women were heroic in their own ways, not just in their rightful roles’. She also used details from documents such as the Edenton Resolves, the Philipsburg Proclamation, and the Book of

Ha Jin’s “The Woman from New York”, showcases the grand impacts of adjusting to cultural differences. This story encompasses both the emotional feat and the physical feat in distance that many go through in their lives. It specifically reveals the challenges that arise in adapting to new life back at home when in the past, a person lived elsewhere and much differently. In following the life of Chen Jenli in this story, readers can explore her societal and cultural struggles or they can place themselves in her shoes. In using Chen Jenli as a vessel, “The Woman from New York” addresses various and most certainly relatable difficulties that people like immigrants or expatriates face. However, these individuals can rely on the psychological process of mindfulness to help in adjustment and difficulties.

While reading many early Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and Realism works have you ever noticed authors views are predominantly parallel with the society and time in which they lived? American authors (men/woman) where thought of as revolutionary with their popular, well noted works, but their gender ideals stem from society’s views rather than their own perceptions. Without societies stipulations, these early authors could have been even more significant and influential than they already are thought to be.