Summary Of Revolutionary Mothers By Carol Berkin

Improved Essays
Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin details the story of the importance that women had before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. Berkin narrowed her scope to the roles that women played since the main teachings of this crucial event within U.S. history only focus on the male perspective; women are usually pushed aside, are barely mentioned, or their roles are romanticized. One of my favorite aspects that Berkin included within her text is the fact that she included all types of women. She had no bias towards their race, age, political affiliation, or social class - thus concluding the major power and impact that women have when they come together for a common cause or end goal. Since the majority of men were gone at war, some of the …show more content…
Being a woman myself, I could definitely emphasize with the accounts of the women included and some of the horrible experiences they had to face. It also felt empowering to read of how brave these women were during a time centered around uncertainty, blood, and death. If someone was learning about U.S. history for the first time, this book would be an excellent supplement to an ordinary history class where they would receive the bulk of their information. I say this because Revolutionary Mothers definitely challenges other works, none that I can state explicitly, expect the overall work of retelling history from teachers and professors around the world. Since Berkin remains so focused on the women during this time period, I think this book would provide as an exceptional source of information for social justice groups fighting for better rights surrounding feminism, race and inequality, and countless others. Personally, I don’t think Berkin ignored or overemphasized the different topics brought forward but instead, she gave them an appropriate amount of time, sources, and explanation of importance within her text. The fact that Berkin delved so specifically and closely into the accounts of women from all walks of life makes Revolutionary Mothers that much better; it’s diverse from all accounts so

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    To begin with the beginning of the America we know there was a revolution. All credit was giving to men however several women donned the uniform of a revolutionary soldier and fought against British. For example Margaret Corbin was the wife of John Corbin who was killed in the battle of Fort Washington in November 1776. Margaret stepped up to filled her husband’s place at the cannon, assisting in sponging and loading. Unfortunately Margaret was wounded by grapeshot in the arm and chest, as a result she was disabled for the rest of her life.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Stamp Act Dbq

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At this time during the Revolutionary War, women were brought into many more causes as well. A lot of the women were even the Daughters of…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American Revolutionary War is very much revered as a “man’s war”. The most recognizable figures from this era were mainly male, however there were several heroines involved in the story of how the United States came to be. Women were often overlooked as viable soldiers, their roles were mostly focused on the upkeep of the base. These jobs included being a laundry maid, waitress, and seamstress for the base residents that could afford it. These roles were neither glamorous nor glorious, and much like the female gender at the time, was looked down upon as unimportant.…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the American civil war (April 12, 1861-May 9,1895) Men would go to war and fight for their side, while the woman would sadly stay at home and take care of their kids, etc. Many women started to get tired of the diversity between them and men, so women started to get involved in the war as nurses, spices etc, because they wanted to see more of the world, then just being a stay at home. American women participated in the civil war to better their lifestyle, to have more freedom, and to assist the injured through being nurses. For a while, many women felt that they too should be able to fight for their side, fight alongside many great men.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Easy Task Of Obeying

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    It is no secret that society has a marginal perspective toward women and their abilities, questioning their capacity and intelligence. In the beginning of times, according to the Bible in the book of Genesis, God said “16 To the woman… “I will surely multiply your pain in child bearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” (ESV) “… He shall rule over you” (ESV) has marked demeanor towards woman.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Women's Suffrage Dbq

    • 2221 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Although the United States was only in the war for less than two years, more than 25% of the country’s population of men between the ages of 18 and 31 served in the war. Many of these men served in foreign countries, leaving the women behind to fend for themselves. In addition, the United States was utterly unprepared to participate in such a large conflict, with the lowest number of men ready to fight since the Civil War (Yockelson). At this time, however, the women defied the codes of gender by taking on responsibilities previously reserved for men (Gavin…

    • 2221 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Women's Rights Dbq

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The years between the American Revolution and the Civil War saw a lot of change in the ideals of woman hood. Women's roles in not only society, but also family life began to change, and these changes fostered the emergence of "republican motherhood" and "cult of domesticity". Women's lives changed drastically, reforms for women's rights, more specifically for the education of women, and mothers began to stay home to care for the kids. Before these times women had very few rights, more than slaves, but certainly less than men. The idea of women's rights was now beginning to develop, especially in the wake of blacks beginning to earn their rights.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Revolution Dbq

    • 2003 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The woman claims that at the beginning of the actual war, women contributed as much as the women could handle. Women felt disappointed that they could not help to the revolution more than they could, women made themselves readily available and useful whenever needed. Women are born with liberty but a tyrannical government forbids women of this right; women are forced to accept these rulers without any choice. When the time came for war boycotts women participated. When boycotts for the better tasting tea started happening women took part in the movement, voicing their opinion and support for the revolution.…

    • 2003 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Women's Suffrage In Canada

    • 2017 Words
    • 9 Pages

    “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. ”- Emma Watson (Ferguson, 238). In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women did not have the right to vote. The dominion act of Canada stated that “no woman, idiot, lunatic, or criminal shall vote”.…

    • 2017 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Revolution had a tremendous impact on all of America, but when examined at a deeper perspective, it determined the way of life for women of the time. In her essay, Jacqueline Jones argues that gender and race shaped the lives of black women during the American Revolution. They were burdened in ways that differentiated from their male counterparts and whites. Whereas James Taylor Carson argues that Native American life allowed women to have more power and authority. Molly Brant, a Mohawk woman, did not settle for the traditional gender roles that she was expected to undertake, but she raised her power to a new height and made herself known as a Mohawk leader by taking advantage of Revolutionary opportunities.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The book does do a good job of hitting the atrocities of the labor movement on the head without overemphasizing them. The book is interesting because it evokes emotion and sympathy for the laborers and builds respect for Mother Jones and her plights. I did find it humorous that Mother Jones, a female fighting for workers rights, was not for women's suffrage and racist. Kinda like my grandma. Mother jones did state, “I’m not a humanitarian, I’m a hell-raiser”.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Legends are legends, in the past and in the present. They are marked in history to be recognized and marveled at for centuries. The same recognition also serves the females that participated in helping the Civil War from 1861 to 1899 (Senker). “As is almost always the case in wartime, these women proved they were capable of doing these things, breaking down the cultural stereotypes regarding the appropriate role for women and what women’s work truly was” (“Transcript: Women of the North and the South”). The raging war created new kinds of opportunities for woman to take actions they were once not allowed to take.…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States of America was altered more than any other nation by World War II. The effects of World War II impacted a wide array of citizens. Even with all of those afflicted, women saw the biggest transformation occur in their lives and roles within the United States of America. Before World War II women were forced to do what were seen as “appropriate” or “feminine” jobs. After World War II started women 's position in American society began to change.…

    • 1023 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Gathering evidence from diaries, memoirs, letters, and other contemporary material, Mary Beth Norton examines the impact of the Revolution War had on the women residing in the thirteen colonies from 1750 to 1800. Liberty 's Daughters provides historical evidence of women 's daily lives, domestic activities, marriages, pains of pregnancies, and the difficulties women of this era had in defining a sense of feminine independence before, during, and after the Revolutionary War. Norton takes an in-depth look at "The Constant Pattern of Women 's Lives" within the first part of the book, expanding on the livelihoods of women in the immediate years before the Revolution. This section addresses how women were treated, measured, and what their acceptable…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    There is a “single story” that men were the only real participants in the war because they were the ones that went off to battle. However, the women were not quietly sitting at home; their actions had a direct impact on the war effort and continuation. Three major occupations they had were fundraising for the war and troops, carrying on work on farms and plantations while their husbands were gone, and working outside the home for the war effort. In both the North and South, fundraising done by white women was necessary to support the Union and Confederate armies. In particular, the support of Southern women was crucial.…

    • 1922 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays