African-American Woman's Role In The 19th Century

Prior to the civil war era, women did not play a significant historical role in society life outside of the home. Women were sent from England during the 17th century and arrived in Colonial America for the sole purpose to marry and produce offspring, which would ultimately aid in increasing the population and promote the survival of the human race in the new land. Women remained oppressed in America for many centuries to come and their roles were limited, until individual protests and the civil war effort demanded a call for change in the 19th century. The duties and responsibilities imposed on women during the civil war would forever reevaluate the view of a woman’s role in the home, workforce and the many wars that were to follow.
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As one minister in Colonial America had stressed, “the woman is a weak creature not endowed with like strength and constancy of mind.” The prescribed role of women was clear: to obey and serve their husbands, nurture their children, and endure the taxing labor required to maintain their households (Tindall & Shi, 110). While the majority of a white woman’s duties included that of managing the upkeep of the home and rearing their children by educating and instilling religious values, the African-American woman’s role during the time period was of no comparison. The majority of African- American women were enslaved and were expected to maintain the home of their master’s, play nanny to their master’s children, and were also used to work in fields. Few enslaved women had families of their own as they were often separated from their husbands and children due to the slave trade …show more content…
However, this too would also seem to be far reaching from the normalcy in society. In actuality, white men dominated America not only from political and economic standpoints, but also from that of religion as well. Russell Creech describes the freedom and power of men during this time period in his work entitled: Secrecy, Spirituality, and Political Education at Princeton. The Early 19th Century. “You will jostle with men, and in the excitement of the bustle and contest you will forget that there is a power that directs all things, to whom you must answer for all you do. Your thoughts will become of the earth-earthy. If you meet with disappointments in your pursuits, you will not see in them the hand of providential warning, but you will say that it is your own want of skill or the successful rivalry of others that has foiled you. If you prevail in your efforts, you will readily give the credit to your own energies and abilities. This is the practice and examples of all men” (21). This mindset, engrained upon the male counterpart is what empowered the distinction and encouraged the so called “battle of the sexes.” May also change last part to include Women and the Church in the 19th Century- historyengine. Richmond.edu