Women During The Colonial Era Essay

To understand the significant change in the role of the women is to understand its roots. Traditionally, women in colonial America were limited in

During the time of 1600-1700’s women did not have the same rights as men in other words they did not have any rights at all. Women were treated very poorly with no type of respect. In the book called FIRST Generations WOMEN in COLONIAL AMERICA, by Carol Berkin it talked about various examples of how women were treated. Throughout my essay I will be explaining a few topics that were repeatedly in the book and I found important. Huge topic like gender roles, women population, and men being privilege. It was not easy for women around this time era, because they had to deal with a lot of hurtful things. Women were doing things we would not to today just so they can survive. Even though some women by becoming a mother meant to die soon.

The role of women has changed immensely since colonial times. A woman during colonial times had to give all her money and property to her husband after their marriage. Today that is not what women have to do when they are married. In addition, women had to do chores around the house, some of the jobs would have been teach their daughters, mend and make clothes, take care of the chickens and clean the house. In the present day they can do whatever they want for a job. Women had no voting rights or position in public life, even though recently we had a women run for president. This means a lot has changed in women’s rights and daily life. Women now have a more important role in daily life and in public life.

First Generations: Women in Colonial America delivers a broad analysis over American women in the colonial period. It is evident that married women in colonial America were not considered equal to their husbands or to society in general. The rights of American women have come a long way in regards to civil rights. The control a woman in early Colonial America had over her own life was linked to race, religion, and class. Berkin organizes the first chapters according to race and region. Other chapters are organized by African American women, New England, and the middle colonies, Native American Women, and white women in the Chesapeake. Within each chapter, Berkin gives details about one woman from the region. European, Indian, and African women of seventeenth and eighteenth-century America were protectors of their native land, pioneers on the frontier, like-minded immigrants, and courageous slaves. They were also, as most scholars tend to leave out, just as important as men in shaping American culture and history.

Women’s roles have changed greatly throughout history. As the advancement of culture, laws, and ideas altered ways of life, women’s lives also evolved in numerous aspects of society. Women’s roles changed greatly between 1815 and 1860. During this time, family dynamics changed as the mothers that were placed at the center of the household were given greater freedoms. In addition, women had more opportunity to take on jobs in the workplace. Women also fought for reform movements that altered their ways of life in the community. During the reform era of the United States, factors such as religion, education, and reforms greatly changed women’s roles in the family, workplace, and society.

In the issue “Was the Colonial Period a “Golden Age” for Women in America?” the core difference of whether or not it was a golden age for women is seen in the variation of roles women had in the colonies compared to later generations and whether or not these differences led to them having more opportunities or just more work. In Gloria Main’s article “Gender, Work, and Wages in Colonial New England” she argues that women’s status in the colonies was elevated by the lack of both females and people in general. She focuses on the economic benefits and increased role diversity women had during the colonial period as what increased the colonial “women’s status and condition” (43). While in Mary Beth Norton’s argues against the belief that women had an elevated status in her article “The Myth of the Golden Age, she’s bases this on the fact that women were still required to do what traditional gender roles required them to do as well as the new responsibilities found in the colonies. Norton focused on the fixed status women seemed to have throughout the colonial time period and while they did take on some different and extra roles, their place in society was still primarily “focus[ed] on the household” (48). Both of these women agree that colonial women had a more

Women did not have an easy life during the American Colonial period. Before a woman reached 25 years of age, she was expected to be married with at least one child. Most, if not all, domestic tasks were performed by women, and most domestic goods and food were prepared and created by women. Women performed these tasks without having any legal acknowledgment. Although women had to endure many hardships, their legal and personal lives were becoming less restricted, although the change was occurring at a snail’s pace.

Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women's most significant professions. Since early times women have been uniquely viewed as a creative source of human life. Historically, however, they have been considered not only intellectually inferior to men but also a major source of temptation and evil. Colonial women faced the harsh realities of childbirth, housework, and serving their husbands because it was tradition. The ways of the ‘old country’ culture was forced upon a new one, disallowing any room for new ideals. Although constrained by society Colonial women have had their part in shaping America.

The book First Generations: Women in Colonial America written by Carol Berkin shares the power of control of a women’s role in the early part of American society was linked to her race and where she lived. In the book Berkin does a great job of giving examples of the life of the colonists. For example, we know that women white women had more freedom than slaves African Americans especially when it came to marriage. If a African American would want to get married to a white man it would be considered a “criminal offensive” ( Berkin 109).

The economic “market revolution” and the religious “Second Great Awakening” shaped American society after 1815. Both of these developments affected women significantly, and contributed to their changing status both inside and outside the home. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved.

Life for women in Colonial America was tougher to endure than life back in England. With daily home chores, that generally lasted all day, to keeping the children under control, women were often burdened by the amount of work they had. Luckily, settling down and finding a husband was inevitable. Although, many women who first came to America as indentured servants would have to wait for marriage until the end of their service.

In the mid to late 1700's, the women of the United States of America had practically no rights. When they were married, the men represented the family, and the woman could not do anything without consulting the men. Women were expected to be housewives, to raise their children, and thinking of a job in a factory was a dream that was never thought impossible. But, as years passed, women such as Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Elizabeth Blackwell began to question why they were at home all day raising the children, and why they did not have jobs like the men. This happened between the years of 1776 and 1876, when the lives and status of Northern middle-class woman was changed forever. Women began to

During the 1800s in the United States of America, women were nothing more than the inferior gender whose sole job was to raise children and to take care of the house, however the occurrence of the Market Revolution within 1800-1850 was able to widen the range of duties women were allowed to perform. This idea of the growth of the female role is strongly demonstrated by three main events and causes of the Market Revolution. The first being the creation of the Lowell-Waltham system, where teenage girls were influenced to work in factories in return for a place to live, food and money. The Lowell-Waltham system had a monumental impact in contributing to the duties of women. The second event was the Second Great Awakening, the spiritual enlightenment helped heed some of the preconceive notions about the weakness of women.

Throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, women faced challenges and oppression with social constructs and laws, which limited their abilities and contributions in society, forcibly placing them into the home. Shifting of ideals through differing political, social, and cultural events presented women with the opportunity to gain admittance into politics and speak out against their oppression. Women began to enter the public arena, speaking publicly on varying issues concerning their proper roles within society; With Increased awareness, women began to collaborate in efforts to reform women’s rights, specifically to call on educational reform. Women compared men’s work to the duties of domestic sphere to vocalize the need for education

In “Gender Roles in Colonial America” states many facts about gender roles and sexuality in Colonial America. The author of this article presents this information throughout many different topics, and plenty of examples. The purpose of this article was to inform readers on how each gender played a part in everyday life of the colonial times. Gender roles were important during these times, because they established everyday life and helped maintain strong family structures. A strong family structure was crucial to these times because the strong family structure was the basis for practically everything else. Everything in the community relied on the strong family unit. The gender roles during these times were very patriarchal sovereign and typical “stereotypes” were carried out.