Q 1: Native Americans, Black, and white women went through a lot of experiences during the revolutionary era. One woman describes her experience during the Revolution and she says that she still did her domestic duties for her husband and his friends. She cooked for the soldiers and continued to do her duties, even during the time of a war. During the time that “colonists resisted the new taxes by boycotting British goods, women were necessarily involved as consumers and producers” (page 73). Women got a lot of jobs this way and this became very popular. This meant that white women had somewhat more choices than the rest. In the Southern states, white women were involved in “slave production of cloth” because people kept them as their slaves for spinning, giving women the chance to “acquire new skills” (page 74). Women did all kinds of things during the Revolution from helping out soldiers in need, to making clothes, and even “making the tea boycott successful” in North Carolina. However, it wasn’t that good for the black women’s choices. They actually did have any choices. This was very different from the way that white women were being treated. They didn’t have much of a say in anything and their lives were greatly affected by the revolution. About 55, 000 slaves escaped during this time from their slave owners. They did escape but were still put to work by the British. Black women fought very hard during this time to make a change in their lives and find freedom. It was clear that the revolution made a big change in the lives of women and some women held more power to make a difference. Each region of the states, women progressed into different things and they all participated.
Q 2: I think that women did play a big role in the revolution’s legacy because they did a lot to help out. Women participated in boycotts and homespun, which brought them to more political action (page 76). I think that during this time women proved themselves more as good housewives and much more than that as well. Some women gained more power and had opportunities and others struggled with poverty, but none the less made a change in the way that “women” were seen.
Q 3: Republican Motherhood basically meant that women played a bigger role in educating their children. This was something very good because a big change was being made and there were more opportunities being given to women other than household duties. One very good thing that came out of this was that women became teachers at schools that were opened, which gave them a chance to be somewhat equal to men and working with them.
Q 4: “In addition to education, religion was crucial in the new conception of white womanhood arising in the last half of the eighteenth century” (page 96). During the Great Awakening many people converted their religion as a way to express what they went through and their experiences. Women became more in power when it came to the church and they basically took over. Women were very passionate about how they “came to experience Jesus Christ” (page 97). Women made religions groups, since they weren’t allowed to be preachers. White women actually began to influence a lot of African American women’s religious lives and they “played significant roles in religious expression, often serving as healers, mediums, or priestesses” (page 100).
4 comments:
PR #1: Q1- I agree with what you write when you say that white women had more choices than african or native american women. Women played their part in the Revolution by doing things like making clothes or boycotting. I think it was very good to include the statistic of how many slaves escaped during the Revolution, and I think that it was also important to write that they were once again taken into slavery by the British. This showed how much of a choice they really had.
Q2- Once again I agree with your comment. White women made a lot of sacrifices with their boycotts, including giving up tea and coffee, along with other things. Women did prove themselves to be more than just housewives and I think it was very important for you to mention that.
Q3- Republican Motherhood was a very important movement because it allowed for women and children to be educated. This was important because then eventually women and men would have a high chance of being equal in certain cases.So, once again I agree with what you wrote. I think your last sentence sums it all up.
Q4- What you wrote about the Great Awakening was very good because it summed up the significance of the movement. Religion did become important to white women because other than having something to believe in, they had something to focus on and have as their own. With the start of new religion groups, women started to be so much more important, once again leading to equality amongst men and women.
PR #1
Lusine, your approach to question #1 is very interesting to read. You provide great detail about how domestic duties were carried over into the Revolution era. Like you said, women continued to do their duties even in the time of war, and I agree with you here. Also, the fact that women resisted against British taxes shows good use of information on your part. However, you forgot to mention anything about Native American women. Most Native American women chose to side with the British because of their bad experiences with the colonists.
For question #2, you did not mention how Native American and black women lived after the Revolution. Native American women were forced to assimilate into the new American society. While Black women, who had sided with Britain, were sold back into slavery.
For questions #3 and #4, I had mixed feelings. You did a great job explaining the idea of Republican Motherhood, but you overgeneralized question #4. I don't think all white women faced the same amount of power as you have mentioned. Women in the north were allowed to vote, while women in the south weren't.
PR #2
- I agree with how she did a good job in explaining how the white coloinal women stuck to their household duties and in trying to support the the men during the war even helped in protesting the tea tax. I believe the Native American women probably were siding more with the British because of their un justice treatmen but also to rasie their own social stauts.
- Here I believe that the Native American women did not only have to assimilate, they decided to conform and use the opprotunity do more of the things they wanted to while having a lil more respect. The native AMerican women were still slaves and very limited.
_ Republican motherhood did give birth to new power to white women although they were not completely free i do believe that they had allot more power as mentioned.
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