Women's Roles During The Revolution

There were quite a few women who had stories to tell about the roles that they played during the war. Many women’s stories involved small acts of rebellion, while others stories were much more exciting. Such women with smaller acts of rebellion are Hannah Israel, who saved her husband’s pride along with his cattle (Hanafore). Sybil Ludington warned soldiers of the oncoming British (Zitek). Patience Wright was an American informant in England (Pavao).

The American Revolution was a war between the 13 colonies and Great Britain. The colonies, trying to gain their freedom, revolted against their mother country, which resulted in a war. The war lasted from 1765 to 1783 and as a result, the colonies gained independence from Great Britain and became the United States of America. While white, male Americans participated in the American Revolution, women, African Americans, and foreigners were also involved. While women, African Americans, and foreigners participated in the American Revolution, their contributions and motivations varied.

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.

The American Revolution was a colonial revolt in which America fought for its independence from Britain. Several groups of people stepped up to contribute during the Revolution that deserve a great deal of recognition. Beginning with women, who in spite of their low position in society still served in a variety of ways. Women took on the roles of men when men were away at war. There were women who were bold enough to serve on the battlefield alongside men. They were determined to prove that they were just as capable of doing what men could do. African Americans, both free and enslaved, also served in the Continental Army. African Americans fought bravely and eagerly, as some even ended up becoming heroes. They were willing to be a helping hand and would even lie to be able to fight for America’s independence as well as their own. Foreigners were another group who supported America by providing trainers and leaders. Foreigners also supported America financially to get the army the supplies it needed. Without the help or support of all these different groups of people, America may not have won its independence.

Some of Berkin’s arguments were the way the women showed courage in the way they performed during the Revolutionary War, the roles in women during the war, and also the woman's roles

Have you noticed that in most history text books that the role of woman was

Chapter one is titled “The Easy Task of Obeying”. This chapter focuses on the roles of women during the 1600s and 1700s. The many duties that women performed daily are shown in this chapter. How women were expected to during this time period is also acknowledged. Ms. Berkin argues that “no matter how long [the women’s] caretaking duties lasted, no matter how hard she labored in the fields, no matter how ferocious she became in the frontier warfare or steadfast in captivity, these actions did not blur the line between male and female”(p. 11). Within the chapter, Ms. Berkin shows that women are still seen as the “helpmate” of men and nothing else, thus proving her point in how the women’s contribution the Revolution is overseen.

Not all women took active participation in the rebellions that other women created, as there were a number of loyalist women as well. Now defining yourself as a loyalist women was not easy the loyalists were the strongest of all in the southern colonies, mostly in Pennsylvania, and New York. There was a huge load of pressure on these woman as they had to leave their properties as soon as possible for the sake of protection. They always had to ask for permission from nearby committees. They would walk to where their husbands were situated in specific forts with the help of the military guides. In these forts they were treated as burdens. A major constant fear for the women throughout the war was that the British would locate themselves somewhere

At the beginning of the struggle in America, women’s citizenship was not given serious consideration. Women were invisible in the political sphere and were seen to have no capacity where politics were concerned. When the war occurred, the role of women vastly changed. They were leaders off the battlefield. Women began to question their role in the political arena. Could a woman have a political thought? Could women be patriots? Must a wife’s political loyalty be the same as her husband’s? Once the Revolution succeeded, these questions were pushed away. Women had played the role of “Republican Mother” and completed their duty in helping the war effort, they did not need a more significant political role. Although women realized they had the potential to have a political mind, Kerber uses the legal processes of confiscation, coverture, and divorce to explain how women’s political identities were still tied to the role of wife. The American Revolution was a fight for liberty and freedom, unless you were a woman. As long as those three processes remained intact women would not gain freedom.

Many women contributed in the Revolutionary War but not many are given enough credit. Woman who had followed the army were referred to as “camp followers”. Females who followed Washington’s army were seeking safety, shelter, food, and work. They need the army and though Washington and other soldiers did not like to admit it, the army needed them. Now I’m going to speak about some of the role the female soldiers played in the Revolutionary War.

Women in the Revolution by Mary Beth Norton explains the hardships that women faced during the American Revolutionary War. Throughout the writing it is explained women’s role in the Revolution and how they impacted the lives of others. In the writing it explains specific groups of women and how they were influenced by the war. Throughout the war women faced just as many difficulties as those who were fighting in the war. The efforts of women in the revolutionary war were very important in the course of women’s civil rights.

During the American Revolution, most women stayed home and sewed and cooked for their family and stayed subservient to their husbands. Some women went a step further and went to the front and nursed the wounded. At that time, women were not allowed to do a lot. A lot of women fought for their rights. Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams, helped plant the seeds that would start women and men thinking about women 's rights and roles in a country that had been founded on the ideals of equality and independence.Abigail Adams was born Abigail Smith on November 22, 1744, in Weymouth, Massachusetts, a farm community about fifteen miles southeast of Boston. Her family on both sides had lived in the colonies for several generations and was well established in the most influential circles of society. Her father, William Smith, was a Harvard graduate who served as a minister in Weymouth. Her mother, Elizabeth Quincy Smith, was from a long line of prosperous, educated New Englanders. Abigail, with her two sisters, Mary and Betsy, and one brother, Billy, enjoyed a happy childhood growing up in the Weymouth mansion. The family was financially comfortable, complete with servants. The house was commonly busy and full of houseguests and children. Like most girls of her time, Abigail received no formal education. Girls were taught reading and writing primarily so that they could read their Bible and write letters, which would become an important part of her

The earliest example of women working outside of the homes during the Revolutionary Era, were "mill girls." These women were employed primarily in the textile mill industry as factory workers. It was the first time that women were able to break into the outside world and earn wages for themselves. At that time, the mills created boarding houses that were created exclusively for women. This allowed women to work but kept them socially separated from the men as some men did not believe that their spheres should overlap while dually protecting women’s “virtue.”

What is the place of a woman? Throughout history, the role of women in American society has been called to question, as all equal rights movements eventually do. For the majority of America’s history, the role of women has been passive. Women, who are trained to be obedient and reserved, often did not take an active role in their rights. The woman who have stood up for their rights have developed how women have been viewed in the past two hundred years. As America developed and changed economically over the years, the resulting change impacted how others view the role of women. The role of women has changed alongside economical changes in the country, and feminists such as Catherine Beecher, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Beatrice Hinkle, Betty

In this article, Fuer starts with the topic of women finally taking charge of their own life. Women finally felt secure enough to make a change, they wanted to make history. “history of woman’s search for freedom and equal rights in America” (p. 286). Women have gone through some difficult times, especially when trying to make a change. During the industrial revolution, women had almost no say in anything because of the laws that were being placed, one law that was placed said “absolute authority over the person and property of his wife” (p. 287). Women were viewed as weak and inferior, they weren’t able to get degrees in medicine, ministry, politics, or law, they were only able to work in small jobs such as at a factory. Luckily, as the industrial