Women proved to be the most heroic and prominent people throughout the most oppressive times in America during the Pre-Columbian era to 1650, the Era of the American Revolution and the New Republic 1750 to 1800, and the period leading to the American Civil War 1800 to 1860. The Native women’s power and hard work during the Pre-Columbian era left the European explorers extremely impressed. The women of the American Revolution and the New Republic used their powerful voices to support their country and make an impactful and positive difference. The women during the period leading into the Civil War proved to be the backbone of America. In conclusion, the American women’s heroic actions led them to be the most outstanding people throughout the most brutal times in America during the Pre-Columbian era, the Era of the American Revolution and the New Republic, and the period leading to the American Civil War.
The Native women’s power and hard work during the Pre-Columbian era made a huge impression on the European explorers. The Pueblo Peoples left a more spiritual impression on the Spanish explorers. They arrived on the western land in the mid-sixteenth century to a community full of rituals and agriculture practices. Even though their jobs were assigned according to gender, they had a spiritual purpose. They believed women had a spiritual power, thus they managed food production. In addition, they had a matrilineal system that led the women to have control over land rights. More importantly, the men highly respected the women for this reason. On the eastern lands, during the first interaction between the Native Americans and the Europeans, the Iroquois peoples’ culture amazed the explorers with how much power the women had. The Iroquois formed a confederacy that was built on the idea of peace and unity.
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The Iroquois women oversaw their politics and religion. One of their religious rituals consisted of an activity called “The Chanters of the Dead”, where they gave meanings to peoples’ dreams. Their political power oversaw the organization of families, the rights for land, and the overall supervision of their communities. The women kept their confederation peaceful by allowing both genders to work hard and together. By the time British settlers arrived; the Iroquois proved to be a strong union led by their wise women. Even though, the Spanish had a rough time settling into the New World when they sent Christopher Columbus, by the time Queen Elizabeth planned on colonizing the Atlantic side of the Americas, the Native women and the Spanish men were involved by marriage and trade. Queen Elizabeth did not have interest in combining her men with the Native women or converting them to Christianity. She wanted to push them out to make room for an exclusive settlement. The settlement was not smooth the first time because Queen Elizabeth only sent men. When she sent women, she intended for a more peaceful approach to settle in. Even though her plan to settle did not go as planned the second time, the third time was more successful in Jamestown with the help of the neighboring tribe, the Powhatans. They prevented the British from dying of hunger by feeding them their agriculture. The British observers were so amused by the way the women controlled their crops because they believed it was a man’s job. Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, became to be one of the most famous Indians to ever live. Ironically enough, she became a legend because she was kidnapped by James-towners. After she agreed to stay with them, she changed her whole life by changing her name to Rebecca and starting a family of her own with a planter named John Rolfe. She gave the British insight to the successful Native customs. Pocahontas takes all the credit for her husband’s success with tobacco farming and sugar production in America because she showed him the Powhatans agriculture practices. In conclusion, the Native women’s power and work ethic during the Pre-Columbian era was extremely impressionable to European explorers.
The women of the American Revolution and the New Republic used their powerful voices to support their country and make an impactful and positive difference. The Daughters of Liberty made their debut when colonials started boycotting British goods in order to hold out against the new taxes. White women, along with black slave women, started producing homespun cloth because they were not importing it from England anymore. Since the white women saw this job as a choice, they treated it as a patriotism and began to call themselves “Liberty’s Daughters”. After the success of the homespun cloth, they continued their support their country throughout the next few years when the British made new regulations on importing tea. The women started drinking coffee instead of tea while influencing others to do so as well.
They even went as far as passing the First Continental Congress. They received so much praise and acknowledgment in the press for their hard work and contribution. Women even had the opportunity to publish their poems about their disapproval of drinking tea. They proved to be a positive influence in politics. As the Revolution began in 1775, Indian nations made the decision to ally with the British and go to war. Since the women decided whether to go to war in any circumstance, Molly Brant, a Native woman who married a British official on the frontier, was highly influential. Since she was a woman of the Mohawk and married to a powerful British man, she was able to act as a successful mediator between the two worlds. Even after her husband died and she returned to her people, she was still very active in the war. As the war went on, more women suffered without their husbands present to support and protect them. Their husbands were also suffering as they were under attack. To protect them, Esther DeBerdt, the wife of Pennsylvania’s Governor, and Sarah Franklin Bache, daughter of Benjamin Franklin, arranged a fundraiser for the troops. They called their organization The Ladies Association of Philadelphia. Their goal was to reach out to women, in and out of the state, and encourage them to show patriotism. The women suggested they cut back on luxuries so they could donate money.
Successfully enough, they raised $300,000. However, the state of Washington encouraged the women to use the money to make shirts for the soldiers instead of giving them cash. In the end, Bache gave the soldiers over 2,000 shirts. Another important aspect of the Revolutionary War was the impact it had on African slaves. Since the Revolution’s purpose was to be free of the British, people also started questioning the rights of the African slaves. People were concerned because the country was contradicting itself by building a nation established on liberty, yet slavery still existed. Mum Bett, also known as Elizabeth Freeman, was another woman who used her powerful voice to make an impactful and positive difference in the attempt to end slavery in the northern states. She was the slave of Colonel John Ashley from Sheffield, Massachusetts.
She and many other slaves made a petition to get their freedom back in 1781. The petition successfully made it to the state court two years later. The court ruled that slavery cannot be permanent in one’s life. In conclusion, the women of the American Revolution and the New Republic used their powerful voices to support their country and make an impactful and positive difference.
The women during the period leading into the Civil War proved to be the strong foundation of America’s success and survival. Godey’s Lady’s Book was a magazine published in 1860 that had a huge influence on Americans during this time. They believed that a perfect woman was a wife, mother, and the backbone of a family. The country relied on the women, including nonmothers, to be nurturing and show motherly instincts to people who were not fortunate enough to receive love. Then, gender roles started changing by the eighteenth century, during the preindustrial time. Men and women worked together from home to produce every day necessities to sell. Later, as business grew, men started working outside the home to manage the money and women stayed inside completing the labor. This was where the era of the industrial transformation all began; in the early nineteenth century. It was called “outwork”. Before people began working in factories, they produced goods in their home. Women dominated this field.
Even after production moved to factories in the late nineteenth century, there were still thousands of seamstresses living in New York in 1860. Although outworking required more skill than working in the factories, women were still paid poorly. The evolution of the industrial era would not have been possible without the women’s hard work and dedication. Following this was the era of women dominating factory labor. These women and girls saw this as an opportunity for personal independence. In addition, their work ethic was finally going to be accepted as economic help. The Mill Girls of Lowell worked in a factory north of Boston, Massachusetts named Francis Cabot Lowell, after the leader of the group of merchants who opened the first American factory. The women were thrilled to be able to earn their own money. They enjoyed their lives and even formed close relationships with one another due to their long work days.
When factories began to expand to distant locations, manufactures built boardinghouses so they could live closer to work. Their bond only got stronger after they developed this sisterhood. Without these women, the success of the first American factories would have been impossible. By the 1860s, immigrants made up more than half of the factory workers. With so much division in society between immigrants, the native middle class, and the poor, work opportunities were not accessible to everyone in need of a job. Women recognized the tragedy taking place amongst struggling poor women and single mothers. The first charity was organized in 1799, by women, in New York City was called The Society for the Relief of Poor Widows. Women were able to survive their tragic living conditions because of this charity. The charity offered spiritual support, food, and clothing. Women proved that without a solid foundation, a country cannot advance to greater accomplishments.
Women proved to be the most courageous and prominent citizens throughout the harshest times in America during the Pre-Columbian era to 1650, the Era of the American Revolution and the New Republic 1750 to 1800, and the period leading to the American Civil War 1800 to 1860. The Native women impressed the European explorers with their power and hard work during the Pre-Columbian era. The women of the American Revolution and the New Republic were not afraid to use their powerful voices to support their country and make an impactful and positive difference. The women during the period leading into the Civil War proved to be the backbone of America’s transitions. In conclusion, the American women’s heroic actions led them to be the most exceptional people throughout the most tragic times in America during the Pre-Columbian era, the Era of the American Revolution and the New Republic, and the period leading to the American Civil War.
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