Women and the American Revolution Essay - 593 Words

Women generally did not fight in the revolution, and the traditional status of Eighteenth Century women meant that they were not publicly able to participate fully in the debates over the revolution. However, in their own sphere, and sometimes out of it, woman participated fully in the revolution in all the ways that their status and custom allowed. As the public debate over the Townshend Acts grew more virulent, women showed their support for the cause of freedom by engaging in certain quot;femininequot; pursuits. A common practice was to publicly ban English imports, especially tea, from their homes. Creating homespun, that is, the tedious creation of homemade fabric from spinning and weaving their own cloth, was another public way†¦show more content†¦They opened up their homes to the wounded, raised money for and provided food and clothing to the Army. There are even several recorded instances of women serving as spies or soldiers in disguise. Most of the active participants however, were in the form of what was called quot;camp followersquot;. While some of these were women were prostitutes, many others were wives, daughters and mothers of soldiers who followed the Army because they were unable to support themselves after their men left for war. They served the Continental Army as nurses, cooks, laundresses, and wa ter bearers. These women became the earliest American examples of women who supported the military to quot;free a man to fightquot; as they performed jobs usually done by male soldiers. Women were generally not active in the political sphere, but there were some exceptions. A famous instance of this was Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams. She was intelligent and well read, and in her letters to her husband, she employs the rhetoric of the Revolution to address all the issues of power between men and women. There was also the idea quot;Republican Motherhoodquot;, as a way that women in the revolutionary era, while still staying in their accepted domestic sphere, could influence public affairs. Proponents of Republican Motherhood believed that boys should be schooled to become good citizens, thoughtful voters, and virtuous shapers ofShow MoreRelatedWomen Of The American Revolution1081 Words   |  5 PagesWomen from all over the world have been faced with many difficult problems since the beginning of time. Women in the past have had to fight for their rights of education, freedom, sexual choices, and their freedom to work. Women today still face problems because of their gender, but times are slowly but surely changing. Before the Revolution women had no say in any activities they participated in. Women had to obey their husbands, give them sex whenever they wanted, had no choice over reproductiveRead MoreWomen Of The American Revolution1960 Words   |  8 Pages In media, women have always been depicted as housewives or homemakers. In commercials, they are always the ones cleaning, cooking, or in some way taking care of children. If you are watching a cleaning commercial, there is always a child making a mess, a father that doesn’t know how to clean it, and a mother who comes to the rescue and cleans it. The ideal that women are the â€Å"weaker† sex has always been popular. Women are meant to tend to the household, husband, and children. During the time ofRead MoreWomen after the American Revolution1948 Words   |  8 Pagesplayed a significant part in changing the many roles that women found themselves in after the Revolution. The role of women as wives became more important as republican ideals established an emphasis on marriage. 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The role of women as wives became more important as an emphasis on virtue was established; women were encouraged to find virtuous husbands and utilize their seductive nature to keep men virtuous. The roles of women as mothersRead MoreWomen and African American Roles After the American Revolution754 Words   |  4 PagesThe roles of many started changing after the American Revolution, in what could be done and who was able to do it. This began the revolution of people who now had a taste of what the future could hold and how important their role would be in making sure it is better for all future generations. In particula r women and African-Americans, two groups of individuals who for very different reasons were looked at as inferior and could only do so much in the grand scheme of things. These two groups were