Women and Economics Before and After American Revolution - Essay Example

Women and Economics during Colonial America and Before and After American Revolution ID: Word count: 1350 words Table of contents Introduction.1 Role of women in colonial America...1 Role of women after American Revolution....4 Conclusion..5 References..6 Introduction: Today's average American woman has come a long way from her predecessors. Many are not aware of the struggle and hardships put in by their kind to achieve the status they possess today. From witch-hunts to the trophy Republican wives, women in America have seen and withstood a great deal. This essay is an analysis on the role of women during certain phases in American history: mainly in the American colonies, during the American Revolution and in the aftermaths of this revolution. This essay shows a steady flow of women's role improving, slowly but surely. Role of women in colonial America: Women in colonial America were suffering tremendously. In the simplest of words, women in early America worked as caretakers of the family, workers in the house and responsible of creating and looking after the home: homemakers. They were not allowed to vote and had little or no chance of attaining an education. Often these women included "indentured servants", these were the migrants who had been allowed a passage into the American colonies. They were forced to work without pay until their contracts, with the individual who paid for their entry, expired. Thus, most of the woman's role was centered at home. If the husband was a farmer or owner of a plantation she could work alongside him on the land. As most of the woman's job centered on child-birth a large amount of her time would be spent in taking care of the children. This included cooking. She had to tend to her own animals, grow her own fruit and vegetables and cook with the limited resources provided by the male member of the house. Candles, soap thread, cloth and clothing (WE)1 were a luxury that had to be produced by the woman herself. Even the most affluent of families had women involved in acts like taking care of the house and cooking for the family. For instance, the characteristics of the society in New York were different to that of other colonies. It consisted of what appears to be a "feudal lord" of today. However, even these women had little to do but sit and sew or knit. She had to tend to her own animals, grow her own fruit and vegetables and cook with the limited resources provided by the male member of the house. Candles, soap thread, cloth and clothing (WE)2 were a luxury that had to be produced by the woman herself. The worse bit of American colonization came during the witch-hunts. The aggrieved Christian colonists needed a reason to explain their defeat at the hands of the "heathen" Indians. Women were the perfect victims to take the blame. In a conservative culture where women had a set and fixed role in the household and society, it was unacceptable for women to break the norms. Thus, if any woman dared to venture outside her prescribed role, the immediate consequence in that time was to blame her alien behavior on mysterious causes: witch-craft. (WE)3 . Despite the limited education, a desire to satisfy physical needs made women proficient at running economically sound households. Women understood the concept of maintaining healthy networks with other females. They adopted the concept of barter with fellow neighbors, friends and relatives. As mentioned previously, women were not educated thus the best teachers were the ones who had served the role of wife themselves. These women taught their own daughters and often took in other young girl students who managed the house in exchange for the skills they performed during this practice. The only job acceptable to women of that time was that of midwife. Though a number of women died in child-birth because very few females had the professional skills needed to carry out proper birth. This occupation was held in the highest respect. The payment was generally in the form of gifts: chickens, sugar and other household goods. Money was rarely paid, often only a coin by the more prosperous families. An example of this is Maratha's (RP)4 role as midwife. In Maratha's story, the one thing that seemed to be pulling her through was religion. If they faced any hardships, the belief in God reigned supreme and everything was placed under His better judgment and decision. In instances when Maratha faced danger she would claim the "Almighty power" pulled her through. A movement that gained momentum in the colonial era was the trial of Anne Hutchinson (RP)5. This woman refused to give up her beliefs in the face of adversity. Her role as a midwife allowed her to be economically sound, yet she suffered at the hands of the state that was not ready to allow women more rights: Hutchinson criticized Antinomians who were close to the state. Her challenge to the ruling authority was seen as unacceptable, despite the respect she had sown in her life. As transcripts prove, her acts of preaching to men was disapproved by the authorities and considered illegal. Role of women after American Revolution: As the war broke out many women took up the jobs of their husbands and fathers. They were now running the household and filling in for the men. Along with this, many women such as "Philadelphia Ladies Association" collected funds to ensure the army was never low on supplies (Parker, 2006)6. Along with this women were now running their own advertisements in magazines like the "Philadelphia Gazette" showed how women were now setting up their own businesses (WE)7, no matter how small they were: sale of ointments or services as writing or needlework teachers. Despite this, women were not considered worthy of being part of the men. Washington realized their important but thought of them as "a clog upon every movement" (WE)8 Women were now becoming aware of their role. The Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" allowed the women to think themselves included in this role. The Revolution had given them an opportunity to make sacrifices and often be in-charge. Women did vote in New Jersey from 1780's to 1807. Along with this the idea of "Republican Mothers" allowed women to have a democratic role in the country (RP)9. Also, women were now seen as responsible for educating their offspring, thus making it necessary for them to be educated too. The immediate consequence of this was women being taught in boarding schools or nearby academies. Education was vital in unshackling women's role from domestic confinement. They now began to show feminist sentiment. Religion that had always led to controlled and weak women now helped in unshackling them. The Book of Galatians said that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." This gave the women far more reason to fight for their rights. As advances in technology took place, women could now take part in productive tasks: instead of spinning at home they could now go to mills. However, there were some shortfalls in the success of the women. They were still not given equal rights. Laws about husband and wife were known under the name of "baron et feme" (RP)10. This meant that the man would continue to be known as Lord while the female had the plain title of woman. The husband was also responsible for all property. None was under the name of women. If the woman did have her own possessions she had to give these up to her husband as dowry at the time of marriage. Though judges were to ask women if they were coerced into giving up property before the deal was finalized, there was no law to punish or prevent it. Conclusion: Women have come a long way from where they began: From the role of midwife in colonies to that of voters and educators. This rich and historic struggle during the colonial period and American Revolution has helped determine the status of women today. References: Parker, The involvement of "The Ladies" Economic support of women during the American Revolution http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2006_summer_fall/women-revolution.html Read More