Women's Role In The Revolutionary War

From the Revolutionary War to the 1920s, the role of women dramatically changed from when women lacked political power and representation to when women were finally granted the right to vote. Although the role of women did gradually improve in that women given more freedoms, they still socially struggled because they were seen as inferior and therefore to this day still receive lower wages than men. Despite the fact that women during the times of war lived to serve those in higher positions, their roles changed over time through the development and progression of their own individual voices. To begin, women back then were known to be followers. During the Revolutionary War, women used to follow behind Washington’s army in hopes of securing
These women took on the men’s jobs and began to manage the farms and businesses that the men had started. Not only did these women help in the Revolutionary War, but they also provided their services in wars of high prestige, such as the Civil War. While a certain number of women did disguise themselves as men in order to follow their lovers to the battlefield, an overwhelming majority of women stayed behind in order to support their side through fundraisers instead of actually going to the wars with their partners. However, later on, as opposed to more traditional work that these women took on during the Revolutionary War, women began to be more involved in current issues such as issues involved with society. In the late 19th century, women made more appearances in settlement houses rather than
For example, in 1908, a Muller vs. Oregon case was presented in that the Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis declared women’s role as child bearers and discussed the regulation of the workplace. This case specifically focused on limiting women’s work hours an revolved around the issue of whether or not it was constitutional to allow for a law that sets a maximum work day for women. Because these women were still seen as inferior, Brandeis focused on getting Supreme Court to accept laws that would protect women workers as a result from the harmful effects that factory labor had on the women’s weaker bodies. Although women were still viewed with a sense of inferiority, the role of women progressed and changed in that they were no longer expected to get married or have children. Many women finally received jobs that were not related to homes or factories. For instance, in 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor. In addition, women finally had higher schooling, which can be seen from Oberlin College, the first coed university. All in all, although women were still seen as inferior, a lot has progressed and improved for women in that they were finally granted and given new