Women's Equality During The American Revolution

At the beginning of 18th century, women and men were unequal. Women had no right to vote and no right to speak in public. In the family, women needed to listen to men, do the housework and take care of the children. They had longer working hours in poorer conditions than men. Women were live in suffrage and they had no position in the society.

The Antebellum Period that lasted roughly from 1825–1850 is an era known for its many reform movements and major transformations in American society. Prior to the popularity of reform movements in American society was the 1828 election in which Andrew Jackson became the seventh president. Jackson professed himself the “champion of the common man,” where the “common man” meant white men. Nevertheless, his presidency caused the development of a more popular mass democracy, or Jacksonian Democracy as it is commonly referred to. The westward expansion that occurred during Jackson’s presidency lead to a shift in America’s economical makeup from a mercantile/market economy to capitalism.

Everyone was affected by the American Revolution, white men, white women, slaves men or free men, everyone. Women served in several ways during the war some of them even fought on the battlefield. But most history books don’t really cover the women 's roles in the American Revolution, little is covered on their contribution to the America 's independence. But in reality they were fiercely active in the American Revolution. What role did they play?

Durn the American Revolutionary period women played a very vital but often overlooked role. Women made a huge difference with their contributions made towards the war efforts. They successfully boycotted the purchase and use of British trade goods which was successfully contributed to the dedication of colonial women’s willingness to alter their consumption of imported goods. Some women rallied to publicly denounce the purchase of goods such as in Hannah Griffits; The Female Patriots, Address’d to the Daughters of Liberty in America where she writes “Let the Daughters of Liberty, nobly arise, And tho’ we’ve no Voice, but negative here, The use of the Taxables, let us forbear” and “That rather than Freedom, we’ll part with our Tea”. Addressing

In England, educated middle-class women purchased and discussed the books and pamphlets of the era. Some also contributed to the era 's intellectual life by raising the issue of the rights of women. In Paris, wealthy women made their homes centers of debate, intellectual speculation, and free inquiry. Their salons brought together philosophers, social critics, artists, and members of the aristocracy and commercial elite. Women were powerfully affected by their participation in revolutionary politics, which in part resulted from Enlightenment thinking.

Many women fought during the war in many different ways. Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man to battle in the Continental army but was still honorably discharged and was rewarded with a soldiers pension. Other patriot women held goods off the market until their prices rose,contributed homespun goods to the army, and passed along information about the British army movements( Foner 232). Ester Reed and Sara Franklin Bache organized a Ladies Association to raise funds to assist American soldiers. The Ladies Association illustrated how the Revolution was propelling women into new forms of public activism.

America is a nation freeing its self from the shackles of the past . This is evident during the mid 19th century with reform movements happening in the Temperance, Education, Prison, women’s rights, and anti-slavery. Temperance, also known as Prohibition, is the fight against Alcohol. Americans were extraordinary heavy drinkers. In the 1820s it was estimated that per capita, consumption was 4 gallons of two-hundred proof per year (Larkin.

Spies, war nurses, and soldiers are what you’d expect to read in your favorite fictional stories. However, they actually existed in our own history. Furthermore, to the surprise of many, women were the ones called to fill these roles. Without their contributions during the American Revolution, many men would have starved, been killed in combat or from disease, or would have been captured by enemy camps. These women sacrificed themselves for the good of their country, whichever army that may be.

The Impact of Women's Suffrage on the U.S. The right to vote is perhaps the most coveted of American liberties. Without the right to vote, populations of people in the United States would cease to have key representation in this representative democratic government. But with the enormous societal emphasis that America puts on voting and elections in the modern status quo, little focus is placed on the incredibly surprising fact that, for much of American history, the right to vote was not one bestowed to all citizens.

Equality is supposed to be for everyone. Years ago, there was no equality, at least forth women anyway. This all changed when something extraordinary happened. Inequality for women such as roles in jobs, voting rights, and much more led to an uprising in the 20th century known as the women’s suffrage movement. The movement sparked a change that history will never