Women in Colonial America
Ziheng (Tony) Fang
Professor Jesse Markay
HIST 251 – 003
27 February 2015 Women in Colonial America During colonial times, the lives of women were very different compared to the lives of men. Regardless of economic status, the role of all women was to assist the men. English law also made women dependent on men. There were many rights and privileges that women and girls did not have. For example, colonial America defined men to be “independent citizens”, which allowed them to own land, slaves, and household goods. However, on the other hand, women were expected to “serve” their husbands. (5) Once a woman was married, many of her basic rights were also taken away from her; her husband would technically “own” all of her property. (5-6) The quality of lives for women also greatly depended on the “kind” of husband she was married to. (9) Colonial society also had women’s roles well defined, which were, being a wife and a mother as well as being a companion to the men, regardless if they lived in the cities or in rural areas. However, while still having similar roles, rural women and elite urban women had different activities. Women in rural areas didn’t even have time to do any chores around the household. However, after a “consumer revolution” that took place, most of the “elite” women were freed from the traditional production tasks that rural women had. This caused the roles of these elite women to be shifted to maintenance around the house, such as cleaning the house. (7) However, as soon as the Revolutionary War broke out, many of its effects caused women to “step out of the norms”. For example, prior to the outbreak of war, many women took part in the boycott against British goods. The boycott had a notable effect when the British Parliament noticed the devastating effects it had and repealed the Stamp Act (14). Around ten months after the Boston Tea Party, fifty-one women gathered at the Elizabeth King’s Edenton home, constituted themselves as the
Professor Jesse Markay
HIST 251 – 003
27 February 2015 Women in Colonial America During colonial times, the lives of women were very different compared to the lives of men. Regardless of economic status, the role of all women was to assist the men. English law also made women dependent on men. There were many rights and privileges that women and girls did not have. For example, colonial America defined men to be “independent citizens”, which allowed them to own land, slaves, and household goods. However, on the other hand, women were expected to “serve” their husbands. (5) Once a woman was married, many of her basic rights were also taken away from her; her husband would technically “own” all of her property. (5-6) The quality of lives for women also greatly depended on the “kind” of husband she was married to. (9) Colonial society also had women’s roles well defined, which were, being a wife and a mother as well as being a companion to the men, regardless if they lived in the cities or in rural areas. However, while still having similar roles, rural women and elite urban women had different activities. Women in rural areas didn’t even have time to do any chores around the household. However, after a “consumer revolution” that took place, most of the “elite” women were freed from the traditional production tasks that rural women had. This caused the roles of these elite women to be shifted to maintenance around the house, such as cleaning the house. (7) However, as soon as the Revolutionary War broke out, many of its effects caused women to “step out of the norms”. For example, prior to the outbreak of war, many women took part in the boycott against British goods. The boycott had a notable effect when the British Parliament noticed the devastating effects it had and repealed the Stamp Act (14). Around ten months after the Boston Tea Party, fifty-one women gathered at the Elizabeth King’s Edenton home, constituted themselves as the