During the Civil War, women took a unique role in America,by essentially taking the place of the men who went to war. When the men left, home life changed completely. Women now had to do many of the things that the men would have taken care of around the house, as well as the things that the women would normally do themselves. During the war, however, some women got more of a taste for life outside the home than others. They had to reconfigure themselves in the world and find where they belonged without the aid of men. The Civil War was the first time that women had ever had a major role in combat. They signed up for volunteer brigades, and many went to work as nurses for the soldiers. More than 400 adventurous women actually put on disguises …show more content…
One such woman was Harriet Tubman, who was a female war spy. She was a former slave, and the head of the Underground Railroad, which freed more than 300 enslaved people. Before being a spy, she worked as a cook for the Union army until they decided to recruit her. She was a very active woman in the war. Harriet Tubman “became the first woman in the country’s history to lead a military expedition when she helped Col. James Montgomery plan a night raid to free slaves from rice plantations along the Combahee River”(smithsonian). There were also memorable women on the confederate side of the war. A famous confederate woman, who went by the name of Rebel Rose, played a significant role during the war. Her birth name was Rose O’Neal and she used her outstanding social fluidity to get intel and pass it down the right channels to the confederate army. Even under house arrest, Rebel Rose still got her messages out. Women spies were sneaky during the war, usually using their charm to gain information for their side. Sometimes, they would even sneak weapons and supplies to the troops “To smuggle goods such as morphine, ammunition or weapons, they often attached them to the frame of their hoop skirts or hid them in baskets, packages and even inside dolls.””(civilwarsaga). Women in the civil war were not just useful in hospitals, but also excelled with undercover assignments as
During the Civil war era women still did not have the same rights as men. Men were known to be the dominant figure in society. Men went to work, men contributed towards the war and men had complete control over anything including the women. All women were allowed to do during this time period is to stay at home and be the “Stay at home mom”. But soon men were tired of war and women knew this is when they could take their chance to be out and about.
The Civil War allowed women opportunities to work outside of the home and gender roles. Unfortunately, the opportunities given to women did not lead to lasting changes in the way women were viewed. Truth's empowering speech
The United States during the Civil war was a divided nation and filled with gruesome fighting. It hit all parts of the country and brought the fighting right to the back yards of families. While the men of the nation fought the combat war, woman fought different wars in the shadows. Fighting split millions of families up, and it affected woman in multiple ways. Challenges differed for woman from North and South. While some woman’s homes were turned into hospitals, other woman had to learn how to tend to their plantations while their husbands were away fighting. Many women disguised themselves as men to fight in the war because in the 1860s, a woman fighting in the war was not allowed yet. Numerous enslaved
Women during the Antebellum Period we held to high expectations of how they were to behave. They had virtues that they adhered to. After the war broke out, the lives of women changed, and the roles they played significantly impacted the way women were viewed following the war. The Civil War was the result of decades worth of tensions amongst the northern and southern states that had ultimately ended with a war. The states had been feuding over many issues including expansion, slavery, and state’s rights (History.com Staff “American Civil War History”). The Civil war broke out in 1861 and continued until 1865. Prior to the war women stayed home and kept up things at the house, but after the war broke out, women felt they needed to help the
Often disguised as poor farm wife or a farm worker, was able to gather intelligence on enemy locations, weaknesses, threat assessments, vulnerability assessments and location of mines buried in the river by the rebels. Furthermore, slaves were not open to talk to Union soldiers for the fear of repercussions. On the other hand, Tubman was able to convince that if they provide her information, she will help the slaves escape from the plantations. As a former slave, Harriet Tubman was able to earn their trust and have them reveal critical information. Tubman reported all her intelligence to her handler, Colonel James Montgomery, a Union officer commanding the Second South Carolina Volunteers, a black unit involved in guerrilla warfare activities (Rose, 2011).
She became the only woman, at the time, to officially lead men into battle, as a scout and a spy while serving the union army in South Carolina. Even though she had already done many incredible things she still chose to do more remarkable
Ms. Tubman is more known as the woman to help free many enslaved African Americans, but in reality that is not all she accomplished in her life. Harriet Tubman was actually a very big key to the Union; she created a big network of spies. This network was formed by many African Americans who volunteered to be slaves to help the Union. This network helped create a better Union army, now that they were able to “gather Military intelligence” (History.com Staff). Another thing Harriet Tubman is less known for is leading armed men to cut off the Confederacy’s supply line; in addition she also freed over 700 slaves. After the war was over, Ms. Tubman was compensated $200, although this was very little money she continued to sell pies, gingerbread, etc. to make a living. Harriet Tubman was offered more money for her service of being a spy, but she initially rejected the
Throughout the entire book the author talks about the different challenges the many women of the Civil War overcame even though they did not have to face these challenges in the first. At the end of the book the author even states, “Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr… summed up the Civil War experience of his generation with these words: ‘In our youth our hearts were touched with fire.’ When we think about the bravery of those who fought in the Civil War, we can now honor the passionate women whose hearts were also touched with fire and who went to extraordinary lengths to serve as soldiers” (93). With this very firm statement, it becomes clear that if you look into the core of all the things that women soldiers of the Civil War did, they all were fueled with the same driving force as any of their fellow male comrades. This message is very clear because the book includes many chapters such as, “Reasons for Becoming a Soldier,” “A Soldier’s Life,” “Women at Antietam,” and “Hospitals and Prisons.” All of these chapters (and others) contain information about women soldiers’ perseverance and the differences of men to women soldiers which, unsurprisingly, is not a lot other than
As said by Phylicia Rashas, “Any time women come together with a collective intention, it's a powerful thing. Whether it's sitting down making a quilt, in a kitchen preparing a meal...or planning a birthday party, when women come together with a collective intention, magic happens.” This is exactly what happened during the Civil War. Before the war, women were simply expected to do work around the house. Their jobs included cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. This was called the “Cult of True Womanhood” and women whose lifestyles followed this path were considered “True Women”. However, women had to take on much more difficult tasks as the Civil War approached. Women played a vital role during the Civil War
Harriet Tubman was an important African American who ran away from slavery and guided runaway slaves to the north for years. During the Civil War she served as a scout, spy, and nurse for the United States Army. After that, she worked for the rights of blacks and women.
Slavery has always been an anomaly, although abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman did much to ameliorate, and later, abolish slavery. Harriet was a strong and courageous woman and a well-known conductor of the Underground Railroads, around the 1850s. Harriet Tubman personal experiences throughout her life have shaped her to become the stout-hearted woman who helped many slaves escape to freedom, by using the Underground Railroad—a network of secret routes.
The role of women during the Civil War is one that is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. Traditionally, women were expected to either keep their homes while their husbands were away. If anything, they were able to work as nurses. However, many women would defy these standards. Defying stereotypes, these women would take on jobs that no one had dared take on before. Women were expected to be proper and maintain the house while men were gone. The women of the Civil War would challenge these stereotypes in a large way, defying everything that was seen as “the norm”. Although women were not legally allowed to participate in combat during the Civil War, they still made significant contributions on and off the battlefield, and without these contributions the war would have been very different.
The Civil War, despite its grim brutality, was beneficial for many women within the United States. Due to
In the mid-late 19th century, a woman was not permitted to vote or hold official offices because they were considered as weak, timid, domestic, illogical, dependent, and hysteria (lectures). During the Civil War (1861-1865), women across the South became nurses, spies, soldiers to support their families and the Confederacy. Mostly, they were engaged in supplying the troops with food, clothing, medical supplies, and even money through fundraising. Moreover, thousands of black enslaved women escaped and began the transition of freedom, beginning
During the Civil War, American women want to find a way to contribute to the war. Women in the North and South joined as volunteers and signed up to work as nurses. It was the first time in American history that women were allowed to