Women's Role In The Revolutionary War

From the social viewpoint the war changed the lives and rights of women all across the United States. Many of the husbands left to fight in the Revolutionary war leaving countless women in charge of farms and businesses, roles which they were not accustomed to. Although the war did little to change women’s rights, in some states it did become possible for women to divorce and in new jersey women even obtained the right to vote which was way out of the ordinary in that time. Before the war both men and women viewed the wife as an obedient and serving spouse that raised the children and took care of the house. But the revolution encouraged people of both genders to reconsider the contribution of women to the family and society.

During the American Revolution, colonists united to fight Britain for their natural rights. Often forgotten heroes are the ladies, who have found their own ways to shape their country. Their ideas have been implemented keeping in mind women's place in society. Some of these contributions to the Revolution include dressing up as men, boycotting British goods, and influencing others' political opinions among many others. There is no doubt that women have made their mark in the American Revolution in numerous ways.

During the American Revolution, not only did men have to face the struggles of war time atmosphere, but women had to as well. The country during the war was divided into three different groups of people; the loyalists, the patriots and the remaining people who did not care. Catherine Van Cortlandt, a loyalist had to endure different struggles then the patriot women Eliza Pinckney and Abigail Adams. However, parts of their stories are similar when it came to their family struggles.

Not all women took active participation in the rebellions that other women created, as there were a number of loyalist women as well. Now defining yourself as a loyalist women was not easy the loyalists were the strongest of all in the southern colonies, mostly in Pennsylvania, and New York. There was a huge load of pressure on these woman as they had to leave their properties as soon as possible for the sake of protection. They always had to ask for permission from nearby committees. They would walk to where their husbands were situated in specific forts with the help of the military guides. In these forts they were treated as burdens. A major constant fear for the women throughout the war was that the British would locate themselves somewhere

Overall, women were an integral and vital part of the Revolutionary War. While few fought on the front lines, others helped in more subtle ways that showed rebellion and helped edge the USA towards long-awaited victory. Men thought women were incapable of understanding the intricacies of war and were proven incorrect time and time again. Whether through spying, healing, or fighting, without women, Britain most certainly would’ve overpowered America in the Revolutionary War.

Many nurses were previously camp followers, which are wives, daughters, and mothers who followed the army in search for food and shelter since they couldn’t provide for themselves after the men left for war. Nurses usually fed and cleaned the patients, emptied the pots, tidied up the hospital wards and cooked. Nurses additionally invented remedies or innovations to help the patients recover. Two memorable nurses during the war include Mary Waters and Mary Pricely. Mary Waters was a Dublin resident who immigrated to Philadelphia and decided to take

Vast majority of women who participated in Revolution are camp followers, they took up the familiar domestic chores of cooking, cleaning, laundering, and providing nursing care. Women were meant to do basic stuff, because it was their prescribed gender role during the Revolution. However, women did risk their lives by sheltering soldiers, sometimes burn their crops or destroy any valuable property to prevent the enemy from taking/using them. Even though women could not be soldiers, during the war emergencies, whoever can fight will fight, the prescribed gender roles were totally ignored. In September, seven months before Lexington, women and male participated in arming for war; they rolled cartridges of powder and shot for the tens of thousands of militiamen. Individually, Deborah Sampson, a woman who dresses like a man, disguised her selves as men to enlist as soldiers. She fought for the US military for the entire revolution. In addition, women such as Mary Ludwig and Margaret Corbin, were known as “Molly Pitchers” would take over the firing line if men fell wounded. These women broke the gender boundaries dramatically. They were recognized as female veterans of combat, proved their ability, bravery on the battlefield during the American

This document suggests that the role of women in the Revolutionary War was very important. The roles played by the woman was important, without them the war could’ve been lost. The women impacted the war in many ways whether it was making food or washing clothes.

During the American Revolution, men were often thought to have been the only ones to fight and participate in the war. While men were the majority that fought in the actual war, women were left to tend to all of the duties left by men, as well as, their own duties. Women were the backbone of towns, farms, and other businesses during the war. The book, Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin, shares the stories of what women went through during the Revolutionary War. Carol Berkin writes about what all the women, no matter what race or political beliefs, went through during the war, and how these women handled the war.

These positions were usually reserved for male soldiers, so this was the first time women filled these roles in the military. Many of the camp followers (the women who filled these spots) were poor wives, mothers and daughters who were accustomed to doing housework, so they were well suited for these positions. The role of a nurse was also often played by a female and though they usually did smaller things (empty chamber pots, clean hospital wards, feed and bathe patients, occasionally they would cook) female nurses invented many things that helped make their patients’ recoveries and care a little bit easier. Some of those inventions were the go-chairs (now called

Camp followers followed an army to their different locations and took care of the soldiers (American Revolution 1). The camp followers repaired the soldiers clothes, did laundry, cleaned the camp, took care of the children, taking care of the sick, and cooked meals. A camp follower was not the ideal job because they got paid a small amount and they only got little food. Because of this they were usually poor and could not support themselves (Jeremiah 1). One of the hardest parts of being a camp follower was following the army.

The American Revolution played a significant role in lives of nearly every person in America. Most men left their wives, mothers, sisters and daughters in charge of farms and businesses when they left to fight in the Patriot armies. There were many men, who had no farms or businesses, left their women with absolutely nothing to fall back on. This led to a significant increase in the population of impoverished women in several cities and towns. Due to the ongoing war, there were many price increases that these women simply could not afford. Some would riot and loot for food, while others would lead popular protests. “In New Jersey and Staten Island, women launched

They opened up their homes to the wounded, raised money for and provided food and clothing to the Army. There are even several recorded instances of women serving as spies or soldiers in disguise. Most of the active participants however, were in the form of what was called "camp followers". While some of these were women were prostitutes, many others were wives, daughters and mothers of soldiers who followed the Army because they were unable to support themselves after their men left for war. They served the Continental Army as nurses, cooks, laundresses, and water bearers. These women became the earliest American examples of women who supported the military to "free a man to fight" as they performed jobs usually done by male soldiers.

During the American Revolutionary Era, women played essential roles in the defiance against Great Britain by boycotting British products and joining the non-consumption organization. During the American Revolution, women served as nurses, cooks, maids, seamstresses, some even secretly enlisted in the Continental Army. From 1825 to 1850, women were fighting for equal opportunities as men and women’s right to vote, the Reform Period. Women’s roles were similar during the American Revolutionary Era and the Reform Movement because during both periods, women contributed to the movements, by joining political protest. Their roles differed during the periods because women during the reform movements, created conventions geared towards women, exacting

In a letter from Abigail Adams, on March 31, 1776, to her husband, John Adams, who was the president of the United States at the time, she wrote “Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” Adams would secretly advocate for women’s right to her husband. She felt that it was completely unfair that women had to abide by the rules and laws in