Dombrowski 1

Andrew Dombrowski
11/14/13
American Revolutions Impact on Women
The American Revolution brought about great change and eventually the birth of the
United States. While the Colonies evolved into a country so too did the roles of the people that
played a part in the transformation. While most history books focus on the male perspective of
the American Revolution, Carol Berkin gives a refreshing take on how the war impacted women.
In her book, Revolutionary Mothers, Berkin discusses what life was like for women before,
during, and after the war. Throughout the war women went from domestic wives to contributors
of the war effort. Women traveled with the army, served as cooks, laundresses, and nurses.
Some women even took over some duties for injured soldiers. They were looked upon to take
care of the farms and shops for the years that men were away fighting. Women kept the home
front afloat while the men were fighting. She also includes different perspectives such as lower
class women and also Indian and African American women. Revolutionary Mothers is an
excellent narrative of the struggles women faced during this time. After reading Berkins book
the main idea was simple; while America was fighting for its independence women were fighting
for their own. The end of the American Revolution was only the beginning of the fight for
independence for women.
Before the Revolution women faced many restrictions. Their two choices in life were
either marriage or joining the sisterhood.1 They were the managers of domestic life making sure
their families were provided for. It was not unprecedented before the Revolution for women to
step up and take on typical male roles if the men were away, however it was not the norm. The

1 Carol Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 5

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revolution often forced women into masculine roles making them, in a way, surrogate
husbands.2 Women began to think of themselves as proprietors and their roles widely expanded
during the war. Women began to see the familys farm as their own and autonomy certainly
became a major theme. As Azubah Norton put it, what was done, was done by myself.3
However as the war raged on many women longed for the life they had before the Revolution.
While they enjoyed their new freedom, life during war was challenging and it took its toll on all
those involved.
Despite their perceived inferiority to men, women greatly impacted the events leading to
war. Women made important contributions to the events that eventually led to the Revolution.
Women took part in boycotting the Stamp Act and refused to marry men that wished to apply for
a stamped marriage license.4 Many no longer remained quiet and broke through the silence.
More and more women expressed radical views in politics. Some women created groups to
boycott British goods. About fifty women in North Carolina created the Edenton Ladies
Patriotic Guild made it a goal to boycott all British-made goods and products.5 This act and
other similar movements helped women break through some gender restrictions, but did not lead
them towards total autonomy.
Most women never found war to be glorious and honorable like many men did. The pain
and sorrow of the inevitable loss of lives was too unbearable for women to think about.6 There
were women who both supported and rejected the idea of patriotism. More often than not,
2 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 11
3 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 34
4 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 14
5 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 21

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poorer women were affected the most by their husbands participation in war leaving the women
to take care of the house and family in poor living conditions. Some women were very
supportive of their husbands going to war and saw it as the noble thing to do. Many women
found the act of their men enlisted to be admirable and attractive. On the home front women
supported the war any way they could. They made clothes for soldiers, grew food on the farms,
melted down metal for bullets, and aided wounded soldiers. Obviously the task of keeping the
family and household afloat while the men were gone was a heavy physical task for women.
Perhaps as equally taxing was the emotional burden it put on them. Quite frankly women missed
their husbands company. Women like Lucy Knox, wife of General Henry Knox, were able to
occupy her mind during the day but when night time came and life slowed down she became
lonely.7 One thing that kept many women going was the responsibility that when the men got
home from war to have the household running as smoothly then as it did before the men had left.
Women were not limited to the home; many actually traveled with armies in camps.8
Military life had desensitized them. While the armies were fighting many women left behind
would loot in search of food and supplies. Prominent men, such as George Washington, were not
pleased with women being a part of the camps, saying that women were often in the way and
rarely listened to directions.9 Despite this even Washington deemed their presence in the camps
necessary to care for the soldiers. There also became a need for nurses in the camps to tend to
wounded soldiers. Women were paid a small amount for their efforts, but that was often not their
6 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 29
7 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 31
8 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 52
9 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 55

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motivation for traveling with the army. Quite frankly, many women were lonely and scared and
wanted to be around their husbands. Women were subject to violence from military soldiers such
as abuse, rape and strangling and wanted to be near their husbands to feel protected.10 Some
women even took it as far as dressing up like men and attempting to join the army themselves.
While these women who joined the camps were very helpful, they also had their drawbacks.
Many fights were often instigated by women. Prostitution and illegal liquor sales were just some
of the negatives. Despite all this though, most men in the army, such as Washington, found their
presence to be necessary. The upper echelon of women, such as the wives of generals, did not
perform the same duties as other women. These wives lived in comfortable housing and were
more symbolic than practical.11 Wives of high officers such as generals were present for morality
more than anything. They kept their husbands spirits up which trickled down throughout the
regiments.
Berkin also gives insight into lessor represented groups of women from the
Revolutionary era. As time went on, many loyalist families began to see that something had to
give. They faced ridicule and pressure to either become patriots or to leave the Colonies. Berkin
also discusses that how women were viewed was based on their husbands beliefs. Ester Quincy
Sewall had essentially become a loyalist though marriage.12 Grace Calloway was stricken to
poverty because of her husbands political beliefs. Years earlier she had warned other women to
never get tyed to a man, for once you are yoked, tiss all a mere joke of seeing your freedom

10 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 40

11 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 68
12 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 93

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again.13 Essentially these examples illustrate how much a woman was tied to her husband. The
wives of wealthy loyalists were often targets of raids and violence from supporters of the
Revolution. Targeted women and families of these attacks either attempted to resurrect their
lives or fled to other lands such as Canada and Florida.
Contrary to most other family structures of the time, Indian families were matrilineal.
Before the War for Independence clan mothers had the power to choose and, if necessary,
remove tribal chiefs.14 Female councilors had a powerful voice in important affairs. More often
than not Indian women, not men, were the leaders. This, however, was unable to last through the
war. While Indian lands were being taken and the war waged on the power of women declined.
Following the war the cultural norms of the white world were forced upon much of the Indian
world.15 Agriculture soon became the economic means of Indian men and, as a result, the
economic power of women diminished. The political voice women previously had was all but
silenced in post-war governments. The one cultural group that initially appeared the have a leg
up on womens place in society in America had been neutralized by the Revolution.
African American women faced their own unique challenges. Free black women who
were household servants were often not able to form their own family. Female northern slaves
were usually separated from their husbands and sold away when they became pregnant. African
American men were often recruited by the Patriot and Loyalist sides; however the women didnt
have as much value to those sides.16 African American women lacked even the few freedoms
13 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 94
14 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 108
15 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 119
16 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 122

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Patriot women received. To put it in context, the struggles of African American women made it
seem like white Patriot women had it made. During the war the presence and chaos caused by
the British army in the South created opportunities for African Americans, men and women alike,
to escape from slavery. However, most attempting to gain their freedom failed. The majority of
women chose not to flee their plantation homes, which backfired on them when the British began
retreating in the war. Many African American women died from starvation and enemy attack.17
Proclamations were not issued for those slaves that escaped from their Loyalist owners.
Following the war, some northern states took steps to end slavery, but the process was tedious.
As a whole, conditions remained as poor for African American women as they had been before
the war.
So often in history women are portrayed as vulnerable and weak, but Carol Berkin makes
sure to include other perspectives of women during the Revolutionary era. While many women
were the victims of injustice and violence, there were some women who, themselves, were the
aggressors. In less common occurrences women behaved more so like men. Some Loyalist
women stole items from the homes of Patriots and rode alongside the Loyalist soldiers.18 There
were women who also showed great courage by standing their ground when enemy soldiers
attempted to take over their homes. There were women who took over the canon after the man in
charge, often their husband, was wounded or killed. Women acted as spies and discovered
secrets that helped the Patriot side. There were women who chose to destroy their own homes
rather than have Loyalist or British men seize it. The efforts of women werent ignored
following the war, but they were exactly universally praised. Much went unchanged after the
17 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 134
18 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 36

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war as far as their roles in society, however they did benefit in some ways. In 1787, the
Philadelphia Young Ladies Academy opened; the first school for women in the United States.19
Many schools began to open up in the years following. Symbolically, these schools represented
the closing gap of intelligence between men and women. Also, womens voice in politics slowly
began to get louder. In some areas, though few, women were even allowed to cast their votes.20
The American Revolution allowed women to step out of their traditional roles and
become game changers. While their time of glory was brief, women got the opportunities they
had only dreamed of prior to make a difference and move forward. Following the war many
things went back to normal and women often lost their newly discovered autonomy. However,
for those brief moments in history women were able to display that they were, in many ways,
capable of doing what the men did. While most men returning from war were happy to see a
return to normalcy, many of their views had changed. A large chunk of men saw what women
did for the war effort and how they handled themselves. A good deal of respect was gained for
how they carried themselves during tough times. While this did little to advance a womans
place in society it was, at least, a start. Womens roles in the war were undoubtedly pivotal in the
outcome. Women rising up during times of war would become a theme throughout American
History and the war that began it all for this nation, the American Revolution, was no exception.

19 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 153

20 Berkin, Revolutionary Mothers, 160

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Works Cited

Berkin, Carol. Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's

Independence. New York: Knopf, 2005.