Gender in the Colonial period - Essay Example

Gender in the Colonial Period This paper uses the Reader’s Companion to American History as a primary source. It is a collection of entries defining issues, significant events and people who shaped history with almost 400 contributing authors including biographers, journalists and scholars. The Reader’s Companion is sponsored by the Society of American Historians which is an association dedicated to encouraging literary excellence in the writing of history and biography. Although women came to America expecting some of the same liberties and freedoms their men fought for, it was a long time before they were able to enjoy the rights and freedoms they enjoy today. Puritans who settled in Colonial America created laws and customs relating to women’s roles that were, in some cases, more stringent than those that existed in England at the time. This traditional, patriarchal society was intent on punishing women who did not conform to the prescribed ‘norms’ of the Puritan culture. A well-documented example is women who would not marry again following the death of their husband. Choosing to be a single woman was considered by the Puritans to be disregarding ‘God’s will.’ These women were looked upon suspiciously and this choice heightened the chance that they would be accused of being a witch. This discussion will examine the role of women in colonial America and how the religious Puritanical system of the time defined women’s rights and duties within that society. Puritan women were prevented from owning property; they could not negotiate their own contracts or even keep any of their own wages. “Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the property rights of American married women followed the dictates of common law, under which everything a woman owned became her husband’s property upon her marriage” (“Married Women’s Property Acts”, n.d.). These restrictions on what a woman could do or own were partly due to the fact that most women were not considered intelligent enough to consider all the consequences involved in managing business or political situations. Women also played the subordinate role in defining the family’s religious beliefs. The observed religious traditions that guided the patriarchal family order allowed wives only a small authoritative role within the family unit. For instance, mothers were trusted and expected to pass along the teachings of the Puritans and Christianity to the children. Husbands could, and often did, entrust their wives to handle various legal and financial matters of the household or family farm but the extent of power the wife possessed always remained at her husband’s discretion. Wives that happily accepted their role and conformed to Puritan societal standards were openly referred to and addressed as ‘goodwife.’ However, the authoritative figure in the family and throughout all facets of Puritan society was clearly the man. The only role that wives served in the male dominated public psyche was caring for children and completing household chores, at all times subordinate to their husbands. Though it was customary for Puritan men to show a general respect for women and they were thought of as handy helpmates in the household, the majority of men were deeply suspicious of women. Thought of as the physical, intellectual and emotionally weaker gender, they were thus more likely to give in to the temptations of the Devil. Women were the images of Eve, lustful for sexual gratification, power and money. This common view of Puritan men “made women susceptible to charges of witchcraft, particularly those who stood to inherit large estates that would have endowed them with uncommon economic influence” (Karlsen, 1987: 52). The Puritan ideology included an intense belief that the devil endeavored to tempt Christians from following God’s laws. According to Puritanical beliefs, they are responsible to observe and then eliminate the presence of evil in society. “The problems that the first generations of English settlers had to face could always be seen as divine castigations for sinful behavior, or as the threat of Satan trying to establish his rule on earth” (Luoma, 2005). Paranoia was the order of the day especially amongst the women. Neighbors were constantly on the alert for unusual or less than Christian behaviors. Most of these people had known each other all their lives and tensions ran high when one accused another of witchcraft. Many women in Salem stood accused because of personal financial successes and thus their lack of dependence on men. In the Puritan culture, men were thought to be ordained by God to rule over women. “The accusations were not pronounced in order to punish the women for their strength in comparison to men but because they were seen to be a danger to the Puritan society and its value system” (Gragg, 1992: 25f). In the early days, immediately following the Puritans’ arrival in America, women exercised some considerable freedom, especially if unmarried, to take up professional positions among the colonies. As the educational requirements for these types of positions increased, women’s inability to obtain the proper education prevented them from entering these fields. Because women were not generally sent to higher education centers, typically obtaining only the ability to read among their other subjects which rotated around becoming a good housewife and mother, most women were forced to work in professions that consisted of factory labor, home maintenance (maids), seamstresses or other menial tasks (Akers, 1980: 10). Most were not allowed to prove their capabilities because it was well accepted that women did not attend the formal schooling that would have provided them with these skills. Typically, adulthood apprenticeship for Puritan girls involved teaching them how to be better housewives. Only relatively few girls were taught to read. “In colonial times, formal learning had a low priority. Girls’ education typically took place at home, where they learned to perform household tasks and, occasionally, to read.” (Woloch, n.d.). Some very few girls were permitted to attend the master’s schools for boys when and if there was room, which typically meant during the summer when the boys were out working. When higher education was available, most women were offered selections of ‘accomplishments’ such as drawing, enameling and fancy needlework, not practical, academic subjects that would enable them to obtain a profession outside of the home. The ‘role’ of the woman was as a housewife and mother which limited their employment options to such tasks as childcare, cooking, washing and sewing or prostitution as a means of support if she were without husband or family. Against this backdrop, women who found themselves in non-traditional situations – the widow, the businesswoman, the intellectual – continuously struggled to find a better balance between men and women that allowed women some of the freedoms afforded to men. In that time period, not to marry would leave a woman dependent on parents and siblings for support. If a man died or abandoned his wife at that time, there was no alimony or child support. The woman, not the man, held the stigma of failure as the woman was supposed to keep her man and the family together. Not only shamed, a woman was also destitute unless she had close friends or family to turn to (Akers, 1980: 48). The Puritans were a society that followed the patriarchal teachings of the Bible which teaches that men are the leaders of the family and community while women are present only to serve a ‘role’ in men’s holy and earthly endeavor. Women were considered the property of men and those who would not submit to a man’s control was viewed at least as anti-social and possibly evil, a minion of the Devil. White men ruled colonial America while all others including slaves and women served their desires. The legacy of this oppressive society lasted for many years following the colonial era and many would admit still lingers today deep in the psyche of society. Works Cited Akers, Charles. Abigail Adams: An American Woman. Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, 1980. Gragg, Larry. The Salem Witch Crisis. New York and London: Praeger, (1992) Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. Luoma, Priscilla L. “Who Put the You in Utopia?” The Puritan Period. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, (April 1, 2005). “Married Women’s Property Acts.” Reader’s Companion to American History. (n.d.). Houghton Mifflin Company. Woloch, Nancy. “Women’s Education.” Reader’s Companion to American History. (n.d.). Houghton Mifflin Company. Read More