Impact Of The American Revolution On Women Essay

The Impact of The American Revolution on Women
The era of the American Revolution was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies on the North American continent.   Political turmoil swept over women, as well as men, and conflicts proclaiming liberty, freedom, and equality formed the foundation for the new nation. Yet, these great virtues did not extend to all of America’s residents, and the insincerity was felt acutely in the hearts and minds of many women. Into letters, diaries and other documents and literacture, there are accounts of women proclaiming their independence and patriotism but still falling short of a good impact from this era.
Firstly, as the war broke out, many women took it upon themselves to do a duty for the common good of the “new“ nation.   They began as   boycotters, camp followers and fund raisers, even when their “invaluable Rights and Privileges are attacked in an unconstitutional and most alarming Manner.” They felt it was their public duty and sometimes did it more than the men.   Many other women showed their patriotism by serving in the war, as nurses, cooks, or laundresses.   However, life on a military camp was hard and not very attractive.   They were usually so busy they didn’t know what was going on as, Sarah Osborn, a camp follower, asked about why officers had swung their hats.   Moreover, army commanders typically found them more of a interference than an asset.   Yet, this aroused amusement among the men. Many men viewed women’s patriotism as a joke and felt it took a woman out of her rightful place in the home. Nowhere was this view made clearer than in a exchange between Abigail Adams and John Adams.   Abigail had asked her husband, who was a congressman in Philadelphia, to ensure that the new nation’s legal code provided legal protection for wives.   John Adams replied, “ I cannot but laugh… [O]ur masculine systems… are little more than Theory… In Practice you know We are the subjects. We have only...