American Women's Roles

Women’s role in society drastically changed from the development of European colonies up to the American Revolution. During the early development of European colonies, we’ll look at the lives of Native American women and their roles in society and how they changed through the colonization of North America. Specifically, I’ll look at the life of Pocahontas and Jikonsahseh, prominent Native American women. I will look at enslaved women from their initial arrival until the abolishment of slavery by the many Northern States during the American Revolution. North American colonization, the need for labor, and the tobacco boom led company officials and landowners to purchase Africans. Then, I’ll discuss the role of white women during major stages …show more content…
According to the textbook, the Industrious Revolution “relied more heavily on enslaved labor and devalued the voices and skills of white women” (p. 136). Women’s voices and skills were devalued because they were often marginalized in the economy and legal systems, they were not allowed to own land and all rights were given to their husbands (p. 138). Some women, however, did expand their family’s economy by churning butter, growing vegetables or operating spinning wheels (p. 136). The Industrious revolution grew a large gap between the rich and the poor, and that was seen in women as well. Women of means were seen as “gracious, elegant, and restrained individuals who did not offend or embarrass others” (p.139). They displayed their wealth through their homes and massive gardens, while women of lower classes often worked as servants (p. …show more content…
New Jersey allowed a small number of independent, property-holding women to vote for a time, but formal political participation was largely a male privilege (p. 244).
Women also gained the right to divorce abusive husbands, although they were still not allowed to own land due to the coverture laws. Coverture laws are “principle of British and American law wherein a married woman lost her legal identity as an individual and in which her economic resources would be controlled by her husband. This law prevented women from owning property” (p. G-5). From the perspective of white women, they had to follow strict gender norms that were created by a male dominated society, they were not given any control over political or economic situations. Women held different life’s than men because society did not offer them the same opportunities. Men were viewed as superior and had dominance over almost every aspect of society. They upheld some the most important seats in church congregations, businesses, and politics. Women, on the other hand, were viewed as inferior and held small privileges as daughter and wives. Some of the most gender-neutral societies were seen among Indians, many women held chief leaderships and were allowed to work and many of them made large contributions to the development of their