Women During The Civil War

They never were able to enjoy the luxury of womanhood. As one historian said, "being a women never saved a single female from hard labor, beatings, rape, family separation, and death" (“Women in the Civil War”). Many women had to do the work of their partners. (“Women in the Civil War.”)

Women were considered frail, unintelligent, and unable to make decisions in eighteen-hundredths America. It was traditional wisdom that a woman’s place was in the home. The Civil War marked a turning point for women and their role in society. Through my research consisting of books, letters, speeches, and articles, I will tell the story of a time in America when women rose to satisfy the needs of the country when most men were away fighting the war. This essay will analyze the roles of women in eighteen-hundredths America, by evaluating how women’s roles had changed; they now were nurses, soldiers/spies, and public workers/activists.

" ‘I want something to do…' ‘Write a book,' Qouth the author of my being. ‘Don't know enough, sir. First live, then write.' ‘Try teaching again,' suggested my mother. ‘No thank you, ma'am, ten years of that is enough.' ‘Take a husband like my Darby, and fulfill your mission,' said sister Joan. ‘Can't afford expensive luxuries, Mrs. Coobiddy.' ‘Go nurse the soldiers,' said my young brother, Tom. ‘I will!' (Harper 14)." This is a dialog of Louisa May Alcott with her relatives. Miss Alcott, like many other African American women, helped serve in the Civil War. During the Civil War, Miss Alcott held a variety of jobs. Mainly working as a writer, she held positions as a nurse, teacher, and volunteered in

There were many famous names from the Civil War, some of the more notable names were: Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and George Custer. These names are synonymous with great generals who fought great battles during the war, but what about Sarah Emma Edmonds, Clara Burton, Dorthea Dix, Rose O’Neal Greenhow, and Loreta Janeta Velazquez? These names are not as known as their male counterparts, but these ladies of the Civil War Era did their part to aide their respective sides in the war. What these and other women did during the civil war may not seem as important, but without their skills, knowledge, and actions some of the great battles might have gone the other way.

The roles of women in society have always been a topic for debate. Some think women should be in the kitchen cooking meal and having lots children. Others feel that women can contribute to society in ways that are not a part of the family home, but outside the in board rooms and operating rooms. This paper is going to argue how chauvinistic thoughts of women helped propel the female gender into great spies during the civil war. During the era of the civil war attitudes of women spying during a war was unheard of; women are often over looked as valuable associates in war efforts. Chauvinistic thoughts of women helped propel some into outstanding spies during the Civil War.

Before the Civil War women were used in a strict capacity as domestic house wives. They cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids and their husbands. Their roles changed drastically at the on-set of the Civil War and all throughout the civil war, they became a very important part of war efforts. Their contribution to the civil war was not only as domestic help, but also on the frontline in combat as well. Specific women in the war played a different role in sharing their support.

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.

For women in the 1860s it was predictable wisdom that a “woman’s place is in the home,” but the Civil War challenged this view (Civil War Academy, 2015). 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 American Civil War was the deadliest battle fought on American soil. The war caused nearly everyone to do whatever they could to help the side that they chose. This included men, women, and children. While women were a part of earlier wars, there was an increase of women in the Civil War that wanted to do their part. Women played a great role in the Civil War as nurses, spies, and soldiers.

"I could only thank God that I was free and could go forward and work, and I was not obliged to stay at home and weep." These are the words of Sarah Edmonds Seelye, a woman who served in the American Civil War under the guise of a man. Legally, women were not allowed to fight in the civil war, but despite this restriction, it did not stop them from becoming involved. Women took on many different roles in an effort to support the war, from taking different duties at home to having a more personal role. The ones who stayed behind usually took on the duties of the household assigned to their husbands, brothers, or fathers.

Historians of the Southern woman during the Civil War can come to no agreement concerning the nature and the role of women in the conflict. According to A.P. Jones, author of The Flower of Southern Womanhood, Southern women a hundred years ago were “lazy, spoiled, and beautiful” (22). They cared only for themselves and subordinated their children, their husbands, and their servants to their own interest

The Civil War was a conflict fought between the North and the South in the United State over the abolition of slavery. More than three and a half and four million men served in the militaries for both sides and more than six hundred thousand died in the conflict. However, some see this war as “the white men’s war” because many white men from north and south fought to display their manhood and for what they believe. They shaped how a man should view their own masculinity and how to prove their manhood by combat. This conflict not only changed many African American lives, it also revolutionize how females view their gender role, in a given culture, masculine and feminine is closely related to men and women, but since many men went to fight in

One of the social aspects during the time 1861-1865 revolved around the new roles given to women. While the hundreds of thousands of men went to war, women were left to manage their new roles as head of the household. What this means is that they now had to undertake the jobs the men would usually do. Some of these new roles included running farms and stores, and working in government, factories, and offices while managing their own households, as well. The war also permitted women to enter former male-orientated professions such as teaching, civil service, and nursing, due to the shortage of men (Keene, 392). The nursing profession practically became completely female-orientated after around 30 years, despite the disapproval of many male doctors

The Civil War, fought in 1861, is known for its audacious men and their hard work towards the four-year-long war. Many would have never known that among the soldiers who fought were more than four-hundred women. During the 1800s, men believed that “true women” should not receive equal rights as they do and were expected to do housework and raise a family. When the war broke out, men were sent to fight in the war, leaving a gateway to a new lifestyle for women. The Civil War was an opportunity for women, allowing them to face new duties and responsibilities as a way to change perception between men and women, such as fighting in the war, nursing for the sick and wounded, and providing resources to the soldiers.

Before the Civil War, laws and traditions restricted women’s choices this quote from “breaking tradition” by Kathleen Ernst shows how before the civil war women did not have as much of a role as they do today in the modern world versus the 1800s.