Carol Berkin Revolutionary Mothers Analysis

The American Revolution was a war of dependence that consisted of thirteen colonies declared against British’s political ideas and religions during 1765 to 1783. Under the achievement of revolution, there were the Continental Amy—which was created by George Washington, who was a commander-in-chief, and John Adams—Congress, who helped to raise the Continental Amy, and large groups of colonists. In addition to those groups of revolutionists, women were also one of major forces that helped waged war against the British redcoats and soldiers. These women had participated and contributed to the outcome of the revolution.

In the book Revolutionary Mothers, author Carol Berkin discusses women’s roles in the American Revolution. She separates out the chapters so that she can discuss the different experiences and roles of women during the period. She utilizes primary and secondary sources to talk about how women stepped into their husband’s shoes and maintained their livelihoods and how they furthered the war effort on both sides, as well as how classes and race effected each woman’s experience. Berkin’s main goal was for the reader to understand that although women’s roles aren’t traditionally discussed when talking about the American Revolution, nevertheless, they played a major part in it.

After reading the novel Revolutionary Mothers I have gained significant knowledge and a better grasp of the Revolutionary war. Carol Berkin 's purpose in writing this book was a simple one: Presenting a series of lenses of various raced women and how they affected and were effected by the Revolutionary War. She presents how women of every skin color was a major factor during the war and ultimately in aiding the formation of our nation. A major difference between this novel and what I have previously learned is that this novel magnifies contributions women have made for this country. Furthermore the textbooks that I read once in class greatly minimize those contributions and just give a broad overview of them. This novel heavily emphasizes the

Women back in the 17th to 18th century were labeled insignificant and served no major roles in any life-changing events. The fate for most of the women, was being confined in their own living spaces- left to prioritize housework duties such as cooking and cleaning. The etiquette of women was subjected to remain obedient to men. The inferiority of women forced imposition of loyalty and obedience towards men; the respect to women remained unrecognized in society. Preluding to the beginning of the 18th century, before the American Revolution arose, the position of a woman was strictly only to maintain household orders and comply towards the necessities of men. Women were nothing more but mere objects

"These are the times that try men's souls" During the American Revolution it was a time where it seemed like all hopes of winning had vanished, it tested to see the soldiers bravery and stamina. The war started because of taxes that the Americans saw unjust, this soon led to boycotts and the Boston tea party. After major key events it sparked the seven year Revolutionary war. The final battle took place in Yorktown 1781. Throughout the war women, African Americans, and Europeans each played important roles in the American Revolution.

The Revolutionary war was not revolutionary because it did not protect some of people’s rights, made lives harder, and left Americans in despair. The Declaration of Independence clearly stated that all men are created equal and unalienable rights (Document 2). This, however, is not shown through the social classes. The Revolutionary War was fought to bring freedom, but that undoubtedly does not show.

The American Revolution or also known as the U.S War of Independence and the American Revolutionary War took place during 1775 to 1783. The Revolution was a conflict arose from the residents of Great Britain’s 13 colonies and the colonial government. The Revolution brought few changes to the lives of women, while the men were away at war, women would stay home and take over the jobs men had before the war. As time flew by, women started taking roles in the Revolutionary War, examples of women who took roles are: Molly Gutridge, Eliza Wilkinson, Anna Rawle and Esther De Berdt Reed.

In 1777, Washington directed Regimental surgeons to procure and train many camp followers to act as nurses. As a result, the Continental Army medical staff was reorganized. Every hospital matron was allocated ten nurses to help the sick and wounded soldiers. The surgeons performed most the skilled medical tasks. The nurses helped in bathing the patients, feeding them, emptying the chamber pots, cooking, cleaning the wards and other custodial works. In the course of the duty, these women nurses always came up with new inventions for treating the soldiers (Perica 8). However, despite the food and the little pay the women received in return for their service, many of them were unwilling to take the nursing jobs. This is because the hospitals reported high

Since the men were gone women began to have a more prominent role within the household by having to assume responsibilities they otherwise would not have had. From the documentary “Mary Silliman’s War” we know that women were not so caught up in the politics of the fighting and generally opposed it. We also know that women helped as washer women in refugee camps for displaced citizens or at army encampments. Gender roles did not change drastically after the war had been fought, but the new roles they did experience were an

The Daughters of Liberty was a group of women activists who fought for the freedom of the colonists from the British Parliament. They were a major factor in protesting against taxes and boycotting British goods. The Daughters of Liberty did whatever it took to free the Patriots from British rule. They accepted women from all ages and all backgrounds. The Daughters of Liberty were important to American history because the rebelled against the British, had influential leaders, and helped people better understand a woman’s role in society.

The American Revolution was a political upheaval that brought many changes to America by greatly altering the popular understanding of women’s partisan status and creating a widespread debate over the meaning of women’s rights. White women had large, essential roles in America’s victory in the American Revolution creating new opportunities for women to participate in politics and support different parties. Women were able to take advantage of these opportunities until a conservative backlash developed by 1830 that stopped any political advancement of women. In Rosemarie Zagarri’s book, Revolutionary Backlash, the author talks about the many things that played a part in causing a backlash against women in the early republic starting when women’s

America treaded the path towards World War II with trepidation, until its people were convinced that action must be taken when the incident of Pearl Harbor occurred. From that point on, American citizens began mobilizing to aid their nation in hopes for victory against the Axis Powers. In order to keep up morale certain measures, such as the use of false advertising, were imposed. The influence of American propaganda during World War II led to an exploration of government authority through the use of censorship, exploitation of women, and incentive to contribute to the war effort.

The Civil War was a series of battles fought from 1861 to 1865 between the North, the Union, and the South, the Confederacy, of the United States of America over the disagreements on the acceptance of slavery. It was a long fought war with high casualties on both sides. Due to that, even more civilians were needed to become soldiers, spies, and etc. Men were always the ones that were expected to fill those positions, despite some of them not wanting to. Women were expected to stay home as the men in their life left for the war. A female becoming a soldier or a spy or any kind of person that helped throughout these battles was unheard of. But there were so many women that did, some disguised and some not. The role that women held in the American

The American Revolution was a very long and extensive war that lasted from 1775 until 1783, and as a result America gained its independence. It is very imperative to highlight the significant role that women played during the American Revolution. During this era a woman was often portrayed as illiterate, child-bearing mother, and a homemaker. Women were considered inferior to men; they had to rights and most of all no voice. Typically, as the old saying goes ‘they were to be seen and not hear’. Revolutionary Mothers, by Carol Berkin tells of the general stereotypes of women in America, the roles in which they played during the America revolution, and lastly it tells the story of the women through their own words.

There is a proverb that says, “The woman is born free and remains equal to men in rights”. Since the eighteenth century, women still try to be equal to men and try to be independent. During the American Revolution, women were dependent on their husband. This meant they had to cook, clean and take care of their children. They were not allowed to do what they wanted. However, in 1775, there was the American Revolution, which was started by the American people to obtain their independence because the British had increased taxes in the thirteen North America colonies. From this moment, rights of women were modified. That is why today, this war is called the war of American independence. According to the “American Revolution history” website, the conflict was between the North American colonies and the British Crown, which was represented by the colonial government. Furthermore, and according to Annette Gordon –Reed, the “American Revolution is a picture of the people who can create the Republic”, which is means that Americans fought for their freedom and independence for eight long years. During this war, women were implicated directly or indirectly. This essay will talk about the implication of women during the American Revolution in terms of political, economical and social change. Secondly, this essay will talk about the impact of the American Revolution on women with a contrast