The American Revolution marked a dark period in the history of the foundation of the nation. Although the men were directly affected as most had to fight, the women were affected as well. Women’s roles were then subordinate to the role of men. This was both in division of labor and in relation to the ownership of property. All the women were forced to adjust their previous family lives in order to handle the absence of the men during the revolution. The American Revolution had a positive impact on the lives of both upper-class white women, African American women and Native American women.
The women were forced to take greater authority over their families. This move made them more influential in the management of the home. The absence of the man who was the head of the family reduced his impact over daily decisions. The woman was able to spread her influence into the family by taking charge. Upper and middle class white women were given greater authority over the property of their husbands. Originally, the women were only entitled to about 30% of the property as dower rights. However, most husbands appointed their wives as their executors so that they could secure the future of their children. The American Revolution therefore gave women an advantage of being able to inherit and administer wealth from their husbands. This was independent of children’s rights because most adult male children had an uncertain future.
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The same situation made it easier for the women to form the basis for their women advocacy case. The situation made it easier for the women to venture into field that were previously male dominated. This was the case for women of all races. The African American women were forced to take up heavy manual labor that was previously carried out by their men. Women tiled the land and worked in various parts of the field. They were also carrying out their household chores simultaneously while working. The white women used their economic position to change the status quo (Dubois & amp; Dumenil, 2019). Women who were widowed and without any inheritance or source of income traded their labor for transportation to the colonies and other safer regions. The women learned to be independent of the men and to establish lives for themselves in their areas of immigration.
The experiences of the women were different based on education, religion and work opportunities. Women who had the influence of race and class were able to secure better opportunities for their families. They would get employment in establishments for food preparation for working class people. Others survived by working as servants in the homes of other people (Dubois & amp; Dumenil, 2019). The situation may have been harsh on the African American and Native women because they were forced to work under the worst situations. They experienced sexual exploitation which sometimes led to unwanted pregnancy and forced abortions. The resulting bastards continued to live a life of slavery and bound labor like their mothers.
All these circumstances made it possible to begin the discussion on the equality of women. The women were able to equate their rights to those of men. This was the beginning of the push for economic empowerment and independence. Women realized that they could have lives outside their family and husbands lives. This discussion boosted the women’s right movement which grew into a cultural change. The women also opposed problems such as rape and sexual impropriety (Dubois & amp; Dumenil, 2019). They began to be more aware of their civil as well as their human rights. In conclusion, the American Revolution was of benefit to the women because it promoted economic autonomy, familial influence and equality in careers.
References
Dubois, E.C. & Dumenil, L. (2019). Through women’s eyes (5 th ed.). Boston, MA:Bedford/St. Martin’s.
