Colonial Virginia In The 1700s Summary

In an excerpt from Minutes of the Council and General Court of Colonial Virginia, Captain Baffe investigates Thomas Hall, an indentured servant. Captain Baffe accuses Thomas Hall of abusing the economic benefits of the sexes. Hall’s potential abuse after identifying as male and female and the rumor that he/she had slept with women confuses and upsets the colonists of Virginia. To restore normality in the colony, the court labels Thomas Hall’s gender and orders that he/she wear specific apparel that resembles his/her identity. The attempts to define Hall’s gender prove that sexual orientation is a vital component in Colonial Virginia’s societal establishment. Hall “made bone lace and did other work with his needle, and shortly after shipping being ready for a voyage into this Country he Change again his apparel into the habit of a man.” In Plymouth, England Hall receives pay for women’s work. Soon after, he wears men’s apparel as an indentured servant in Virginia. When Captain Baffe asks of Hall’s gender, Hall “stated[s] that he was both man and woman.” Captain Baffe, along with several women, examine Hall …show more content…
Gender roles and normalcies were necessary for the political, economic, and social organization of Colonial Virginia. Colonial Virginia was a patriarchal society in which men were the leaders of their households and communities. Women were subordinate to men and maintained domestic affairs. Gender roles of any kind were and are still essential to one’s identity as these roles dictate one’s responsibilities and therefore maintain social order. Because gender roles play such an important role in society, widespread perplexity occurs when one does not fulfill them. In this instance, Thomas Hall’s hermaphroditic gender disrupted the social norm of his community and therefore society tried to reestablish the difference between sex and