Women After Revolutionary War

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HBarrientos Jessica WOMST 101W: Introduction to Women’s Studies Erin Wuebker 6 September 2015 Changes for Women During and After the Revolutionary War The American Revolution was the first revolution in history where people fought for their independence in factors such as rule of law, constitutional rights, and popular sovereignty. The Revolutionary era disrupted habits and opened greater opportunities for women in the eighteenth century. The revolution led to the rethinking of the rules for society and the perception on women. There were major signs of changes during the Revolutionary era with regards to women’s status such as participating in helping out for the war, the new ideal of companionate marriage, and the new legitimacy of women’s…show more content…
Abigail Adams, wrote, “I find it necessary to be the directress of our husbandry. I hope in time to have the reputation of being as good a farmer as my partner has of being a good statesman” (Woloch 82). Adams believes that the responsibility given to women during the revolutionary war provided them with more opportunities and many advantages. Adams herself, managed her family’s farm, fiancés, and invested money she had earned. Some women learned from their domestic role and furthered their own opinions and ideas about the Revolution. According to Mary Beth Norton in “The Positive Impact of the American Revolution on White Women,” she acknowledges that male Patriot leaders realized they needed women to help out in the boycott of tea and other items that helped support the war. Consequently, those that participated actively participated in the boycott were praised as opposed to the loyalist. This led women to break with the tradition of noninvolvement in the public world and allowed them to take part in fighting for their country’s independence. The female leaders demonstrated they had studied the methods of political mobilization utilized by their husbands. They organized a committee of correspondence, used newspapers for publicity, and even helped out by making items that were…show more content…
In early America, Women and Men in terms of the law were very much unequal. According to The Law of Domestic Relations: Marriage, Divorce, Dower, Men owned of the most of the property, and had the authority over their wives. Men received the right to manage and collect the rents and profits of any estate she, “feme covert” owned. Only men had the legal rights over their children. After the revolution, women reshaped family life by advocating significant changes such as balance, respect, and mutual consideration. “In the late- eighteenth-century version of companionate marriage, the wife enjoyed a higher status within the home. She could now be considered rational being rather than…servile drudge” (Woloch 85). Woloch’s point is that the early idea that women needed to obey their husband’s superior judgments and desires shifted to being viewed as individuals with distinctive characteristics and capacity for reasoning. In addition, they gained more authority over their children and promoted the value of independence, love and self-control. There was also more access to divorce for women which was one of the huge legal advantages women gained after the revolution because more women were able to make decisions for
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