The Revolutionary Era

Women’s participation in political positions remained nonexistent throughout the revolutionary era. Even if a woman wanted to get involved in politics it would have been difficult due to their lower literacy rates at the time. But no matter who you were, this was a time in history where you could stand up for their freedoms. This was surprising to men to see women rallying and congregating in mobs. It was time for them to show their strengths and prove that they just as good any anyone else.

With politics on everyone’s mind, how could the ladies possibly keep their thoughts to themselves? Many observers noticed that women were getting caught up in the commotion more so than the men. They worked hard to provide more American made clothing and even avoided buying British imported teas. They seemed to be the fire under their husbands’ and sons’ behinds, acting as fuel for their patriotism. 

During times of war, many women would seek shelter but those who followed the soldiers assisted as much as they could. These women cooked, did laundry, served as nurses, and generally improved the group’s morale. A few of them even served as spies or soldiers. Back at home, while the men were away the women had to pick up the slack. They ran farms and businesses and took the place of many men in their society. 

This new power made them think, why were men and women not equal? The answer was simple: women were not given the same opportunities as men. And this is where the paradox begins. Women were not given the same opportunities in education as men but if they were they were believed to lose their femininity which would be improper for a woman. Many men of the time believed woman to be inferior and possibly undeserving of knowledge but now that the women were able to show off what they were really capable of, it began to turn the tides on many people’s ways of viewing women.

1607-1770

The woman of the 1600’s were destined to live under the rule of their husbands. The only way a woman could avoid this at the time was to remain unmarried or become a widow. The only amount of power they really had was in their social circles. Everyone knew everyone else’s business and gossip was prominent. Many women worked together exchanging goods, selling milk and butter, and helping with children.

There was a great social divide. Men wanted women to submit to them the way a man would submit to God. Women were to take care of the home, allowing men to go out on all of their adventures. It was not common for a woman to be able to read or write, especially if they were poor.

The New World was a rough place for both men and women. Only one out of four children lived past one year old. African women who had been taken as slaves, taught their children of their memories of home.

When women resisted the social norms often times they were beaten and punished. In the case of the Salem witch trials, fourteen women and six men were put to death under the assumption that they were witches. Those who were accused were done so because they of the fear of powerful women. They did not believe that women should hold places of like those of men.

With the production of consumer goods increasing in the 1700s, a woman’s role around the house began to shift. This was the time of the “pretty gentlewoman”. Instead of doing so much work in the fields, they were now sent into the home to prepare it for guests and keep it neat and clean.

The First American Women

Women played a huge role in Native American culture and society. Even the Native American creation myth begins with a woman. This already begins to show you that women were a valued part of their culture. While the men went out to hunt and gather food the women would stay at home to cultivate their social and management skills. They were the life blood of the tribe. They were the ones to keep things in order while the men were gone; tending fields, raising children, growing food, and mending huts.  

Depending on the tribe, certain tasks were given out depending on gender. But on the other hand, there are a few recorded cases of women becoming tribe leader and even taking on the role of a man and going hunting. There is nothing stopping strong woman from stepping up and taking on a role they know they can fill, it was often encouraged.

But the Europeans did not see things as the natives did. They wanted to imagine the culture of the tribes in comparison to their own instead of viewing it as its own separate and viable thing. They found it outlandish and even insulting that they would give such important jobs to women. As the Europeans began to force their own ideals on the natives, they found that they would not be swayed so easily from their own way of life...and with good reason. Many Europeans took Native American women for wives but did not treat them fairly.

With two worlds mixing, instead of one taking over the other and pushing out any hint of it, it is interesting to imagine what it would have been like (in a perfect world) if the majority of the settlers embraced the cultural differences with the natives and became a new united culture; each teaching the other everything they have to offer and working towards a common goal together.