The roles of many started changing after the American Revolution, in what could be done and who was able to do it. This began the revolution of people who now had a taste of what the future could hold and how important their role would be in making sure it is better for all future generations. In particular women and African-Americans, two groups of individuals who for very different reasons were looked at as inferior and could only do so much in the grand scheme of things. These two groups were able to break through preconceived roles; however, they ended up with completely different outcomes. Women, in general, were expected to be able to run their homes, taking care of their spouses and children in whatever form was needed at the time. They were looked down on as uneducated without the ability to understand the more intricate knowledge of politics and the running of businesses of any kind. They had no rights except for what they received from the graciousness of their husbands. Their opinions did not matter, in the long run and they were treated as inferior, expected to stay in their place unquestioning and unassuming. African-Americans were brought over as slaves having no rights at all, doing only what their master wanted, no matter what that entailed. Depending on their master and how he chooses to treat his slaves the conditions could be horrendous, leaving many to doubt that their lives would be any different from what they were currently living. Did that mean that there was no hope for the future of women or African-Americans? Did they not want change? Were they not willing to push the envelope and try to make their lives better? Women were required to step into more and more roles during the Revolutio... ... middle of paper ... ... kept around. Even free slaves did not have the same freedoms as whites or even women with all their stipulations against them; although, they were able to start businesses and practice religious beliefs with people who were like-minded. It would be several years before what began following the American Revolution for the rights of women and African-Americans would come to fruition, but it cannot be argued that the roles started changing at this point. The future would be different thanks to those brave enough to step forward when they did to fight for their inalienable rights as humans. Works Cited National Women’s History Museum, (2007), Women’s Changing Roles as Citizens of a New Republic, retrieved from: http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/education/1700s_2.htm Gail Collins, America’s Women (New York, N.Y.: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2003), 106.
Before the Revolution, women were not allowed a voice in the political world. They almost had no rights, especially if they were married. They were granted fewer opportunities than men. Women were to stay at home care for the household and family. However, that soon began to change. When the Stamp Act was passed in 1765, it required colonist to pay a tax on every piece of printed-paper they used. Women refused to pay for the shipped items from the mother country, “The first political act of American women was to say ‘No’(Berkin 13). As from then, an uprising in issues began to unroll. Women began to seek their voice been heard and act out on problems that were uprising, such as the British Tea. As the war broke out, women’s lives changed even more. While men were in compact, they kept their families alive by managing the farms and businesses, something that they did not do before the war. As the fighting advanced, armies would rummage through towns, destroying homes and seizing food-leaving families with nothing. Women were attacked while their property was being stripped away from them; some women destroyed their own property to keep their family safe. “Women’s efforts to save the family resources were made more difficult by the demands of the military.
Before Elizabeth Cady Stanton had any impact and attempts to start speeches like her “the solitude to self” speech or her speeches at Seneca Falls. Most women were treated as a cook and a maid, they stayed home to take care of the children. They were to be bossed around by their husband. It was actually better off if a woman was single or widowed. Also, all women were not allowed to vote. Women had a say in typically nothing that is until Elizabeth finally took a stand.
The laws of the nation were degrading to the freedom and rights of the women in the land. The makers of the laws were all men who believed that women had no place in the
Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
Often historical events leading up to the twentieth century are dominated by men and the role of women is seemingly non-existent outside of reproduction. When one thinks of notable and memorable names and events of the Revolution, men are the first to be mentioned. The American Revolution was mainly dominated by men including George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. There is no denying that men were vitally important to the American Revolution, but what were the women doing? Often overlooked, the women of the Revolution played a key role in the outcome of the nation. The women of the American Revolution, although not always recognized, were an influential society that assumed risky jobs like soldiers, as well as involvement
As the years dragged on in the new nation the roles of men and women became more distinct and further apart for one another. Women were not allowed to go anywhere in public without an escort, they could not hold a position in office let allow vote, and they could only learn the basics of education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). In law the children belonged to the husband and so did the wife’s property and money. The only job women could think about having was being a ‘governess’ which would give other women education.
The African Americans were tired of being slaves, and they wanted their rights back. They won the Civil War and earned their rights, but they were still discriminated against. For example, due to Jim Crow laws, they did not get the same quality transportation that the white people did. Even today, African Americans are being discriminated against by law enforcement and other people who believe that they are plebeians.
There would be no United States of America today if the American Revolution hadn’t started in 1775. Although the Patriots were able to beat the tyrannical rule of Great Britain, history books fail to acknowledge the role women played in the war. Women weren’t allowed to fight in wars like they are today; therefore, when the American Revolution is discussed women tend to go unnoticed as being influential. During the American Revolution women helped the war effort by spying on the British, writing literature that raised opposition, and forming organizations that provided for the Continental Army.
As white males continually gained suffrage in the United States’ “democratic” system, both African Americans and women were still denied the right to vote. The white males who could vote, were intensely against the two groups being able to have a say in the political processes. In the 1830s, many white males were now able to vote, either with or without property, while African Americans constantly lost this right as many states adopted laws that prevented the free black people from voting. Some states even went so far as to reinstate property laws that hadn’t been used in years. Women were seen as “inferior to the white race”, just as being African American was, so they, therefore, had an “incapacity to exercise political power”. This was seen as a natural position of women, just as they were supposed to be the home-makers, “cloistered in the private realm of the family”. In antithesis to this, women soon began to participate in reform movements, making themselves in the middle of the public eye. However, the ability to vote was soon seen as the right of the person who was the dominate figure, or head of the household, automatically striking out women from that position since they could only be a wife, daughter, or sister to that figure.
Slavery in the 1800’s was not something people looked forward to. Living in poverty, having nothing to eat, working tremendous amounts of nonstop hours, even being at time tortured by your master among other things, was what slavery was all about. African Americans were specifically the targeted group to fulfill this ideology of slavery; ideology, because whites, for many years, thought that putting someone through this grief was something to be proud about. As years passed by, advocates for slaves fought for their freedom eventually accomplishing something unimaginable. In the year 1799, northern states began to negotiate the abolition of slavery. However, this was not the end of discrimination. Women also lacked many rights and were not seen
For many freedmen the only thing they had after gaining their freedom was their freedom itself. For the most part they had no jobs, no money and no homes. Former slaves also had little to no formal skills, were mostly illiterate and therefore found it difficult to better their situations. Countless freedmen went back to work on their former master’s plantations for a low wage and essentially remained enslaved. Though there were successes for freedmen during the era of reconstruction like the Civil R...
Alongside the brutal, bloody Civil War and makeshift post-war reconstruction in the South were several monumental changes within the United States. As federal power increased, so did the power of the Constitution, as it began to expand and shift to encompass more and more people. With this also came a social change; millions of blacks, now freed by the thirteenth amendment, had the potential to be just as successful as their white brethren. As time went by, however, numerous pitfalls and opposing viewpoints challenged the idea of constitutional and social transformation. While there was a constitutional revolution occurring from 1860-1877, there was little to no social revolution happening at the same time.
Looking back to 1877 it would not appear much progress had been made toward the ideals held in the Declaration of Independence when it came to blacks and women. While black males had been granted the right to vote and hold office by this time, those rights were being severely hindered by terrorist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Women still did not have the right to vote nor would they until the ratification of the Ninetieth Amendment in 1920, forty-three years later, more than seventy years after the women’s movement began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. Looking back, it would seem little to no progress had been made for these two groups. As they say hindsight is 20-20, but what if we were to change our perspective and not look back at history but to look forward from the times?
Women were excluded from political activity but that didn 't stop them from having civil issues and views. During this time both man and women were dealing with women rights and duties and took their views to writing. They wrote about stuff such as reevaluating “...courtships, marriage, and motherhood in light of republican ideals. Tyrannical power in the ruler, whether king or husband, was declared a thing of the past.” (Roark 219) Views on the roles of men and women and the ideals held for both genders were different including public virtue for man and sexual chastity for women. All these views were being challenged from not only women but also many men who saw the injustice and unfairness with the traditional views set in place for both men and women and who could see the positive outcomes of rearranging our views and to place more importance in the hands of women, including education. These ideas were listened to but only in the ways to help women put their families first and use their new knowledge and skills in raising their families rather than contributing more to the country. However, despite these views not getting the full result they intended at the time it was a good stepping stone along the way for a young
It wasn’t easy being an African American, back then they had to fight in order to achieve where they are today, from slavery and discrimination, there was a very slim chance of hope for freedom or even citizenship. This longing for hope began to shift around the 1950’s. During the Civil Rights Movement, where discrimination still took place, it was the time when African Americans started to defend their rights and honor to become freemen like every other citizen of the United States. African Americans were beginning to gain recognition after the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, which declared all people born natural in the United States and included the slaves that were previously declared free. However, this didn’t prevent the people from disputing against the constitutional law, especially the people in the South who continued to retaliate against African Americans and the idea of integration in white schools....