What Is The Role Of Women In Colonial America

Women in America after the Revolutionary War had an incredible impact on how America is known today. The roles of women during this period were very different than the expectations women have today. In the colonies, woman had many jobs. They would be teachers, innkeepers, merchants and printers. Women were expected to have as many kids as possible. Some women had anywhere between five and eight children, many resulting in miscarriages. In other cases, if the baby did survive past birth, a lot of them died as an infant. Single woman and widows were treated very differently. They had many more advantages than married woman in the colonies. Unmarried woman had the right to live anywhere they wanted. As long as they remained unmarried, women could write wills, sue and be sued, act as executors …show more content…
They were not allowed to be lawyers or doctors, and they weren’t accepted into universities. They had no property rights and couldn’t vote. Once a woman gets married she loses her individual identity, and from that day forward she would be all around dependant of her husband. A woman could not sign a legally binding contract, bring suit in court, acquire property or income in her own name, or vote. Woman had no protection when their husbands were irresponsible. Although, if her husband failed to provide for her, she could take him to court and win support. A man could not sell land a woman brought to the marriage without her consent. Many great women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were Woman’s Rights reformers who formed the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. On July 4th 1876, Susan B. Anthony presented a document entitled “Declaration of Rights of the Women of the United States” to the senator, Thomas Ferry at the 4th of July celebration in Philadelphia. These woman’s intention was to maintain equality and eventually there were two woman’s rights movements after the Civil