Women in Colonial America (Essay Sample)

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Women in Colonial America
The colonial times in American experience basically refer to the years between the late 1600s and 1800. Whereas it was a time of relative nationalistic instability chiefly brought about territorial wrangles between colonial troops, the natives and settlers, it was not an easy time for women in America because they were unarmed, uneducated and often did household chores as housewives (Braude 39). Women have always played a very critical role in any society regardless of the conditions these societies go through. In American colonial experience, it is remarkable that the odds for women were a bit too extreme but somehow managed to lead descent lives. The laws and the customs of the time were a bit extreme in the patriarchal society. Whereas the times were markedly differently from today, some obvious parallels are traceable to social causes. For instance, these women wore married off for the reasons of wealth and not on the basis of romantic love (Alexander & Chandra 68). In such conditions, they were married early between the age of 13 and 14. It was thus extremely socially humiliating if a woman was married after the 25th birthday. The extreme social pressures during the time made life often very harsh for women and society modelled laws likewise that were grossly unfavourable.
The women in colonial America lived through very debilitating times. Apart from the fact that their husbands were entirely chauvinistic and they were required to work for long hours in the farm or in the household raising the children, the still never got any much honour and admiration or respect from their husbands and the society at large. They were demanded to obey their men and to respect them without any complaint. Their lives and welfare was entirely focussed in the home (Wiesner 50). They had intense and diverse array of roles in these households as heating, cooking, laundry, caring for the livestock and cooking for the households. They often cooked over fire in brick ovens and these were dusty and smoke infested regions in the household. They would transport produce over long distances because there were no roads and even if they existed, the poor women in the villages could not afford carriages to ride on the roads. The towns were dingy without proper drainage and sewer systems installed so the women would clean the ablution areas that were stinking and littered with excreta.
In spite of the difficult circumstances for the women, there was a gradual progress towards better and more humane conditions. For instance, during the revolutionary war, scores of women were hushed into many new engagements. Whereas many women organization had been rolled on form the late 1600s, they had no significant political or social credibility and following. By the 1700s, these organizations established themselves as political entities. In 1766 in particular, the organization ‘Daughters of Liberty’ had been formed and they orchestrated purely political agendas at the national stage. It was a period of heated political engagement and many Americans started boycotting British commodities and clothing. The industrial revolution in Britain was actually a revolution in clothing. The American women in their refutation of the British materials spurn clothing for their households and community (Lerner 45). With the introduction of tax for tea, the women organized themselves to oppose and refused the taxes. They even formed anti-tea league. Everything came to a heated pitch with the strict measures instituted for tea taxes and in 1770, a good number of Boston women organized a revolt and all signed an agreement never to drink tea if it was taxed (Gordon 56). The patriot soldiers needed clothing and the colonies needed many other commodities which their infant industry could not produce. It was the women who got together to make these garments and to sew and spin uniforms. A good number became activities and deeply engaged the political process taking shape in the country. A good number wrote articles in the local newspapers and magazines. They wrote many articles about the war and how deeply they supported emancipation.
Women loyalists to the national cause participated either directly or indirectly in the war. Some made cartridges, others held scrap drives and other jumped into the war on various capacities. It is noted that Ludington, a 16 year old daughter of a patriot directly enlisted into the war as a commander. The attained a historic feat by riding over 40 miles to wake up cavalry units and minutemen. A good number failed in the process and even others acted as spies to the English, carrying letters and other indulgences (Barker-Benfield 57). These women did not really know how to bear arms but were astute in defence. Instead of using guns, they could not afford, they resorted to the use of knives, axes, and gardening tools for defence. There are many instances when these women defended themselves with such crude weapons. The women did a lot other engagements in the war because they availed supplies; others were used for various purposes as would fit the needs of a patriotic militia opposed to a superior maritime colonial imperial power.
In the aftermath of the war and several sweeping changes were instituted by a new wave of constitutionalism, new forms and models of gendered relationships were developed and new laws set in place to guide in the fo...