Discuss The Status Of Women In The Early Republic

Women's Status in the Early Republic Women in the early republic were expected to take care for the children and the household. They were not allowed to vote or interfere in politics. The power between men and women was unequal and unfair. During the revolutionary war, the women became a little more involved in politics; they became more patriotic. As the U.S. was declaring its independence from Britain, some women had hoped for change in the Early Republic. The three important factors that shows women hope for a changed was such; the rise of female education, some religious organizations provided women with opportunities in the church, and the printed media allowed women share their ideas. These changes led women to eventually
Female Education was the major event that broke the barrier and led women to obtain confidence and security within themselves. Education further helped women become more sophisticated. The girls’ literacy rates had closely reached the male literacy rates.[1] The education of women further advanced with the building of more private academies. “Judith Sargent Murray, the Massachusetts author who called for equality of the sexes around 1790, predicted that “a new era in female history “would emerge because “female academies” were everywhere establishing.”’[2] As the establishment of female schools increased, more females in the middle classes and elite classes were able to attend. Women, through education, were able to increase their knowledge. The teaching of elocution was among the most important things that took part in influencing women for future social changes. Elocution is the practice of public speaking. “Here the young women’s elocution studies paid off; they had learned the art of persuasion along with correct pronunciation
However, there were other religious organizations that reconsidered the role of women in the church which provided them with various opportunities. Some, such as the Baptist congregations, allowed women to serve along with men in the church.[8] Many were able to take leadership roles within the church. In Quaker meetings, some were given the status of minister, allowing them to lead and speak.[9]This led several women to participate in open preaching. “And Catherine Brekus has brought to light over a hundred women preachers and exhorters active in the years 1740–1845, whose lives signify a startling infringement of the traditional prohibition against female public speaking and the exercise of religious authority.”[10] These opportunities helped women defy previous judgments and move towards change. The upcoming denominations and religious styles caused the practice of gender subordination to come into question. Jemima Wilkinson further helped challenge and raise questions towards gender inequality. “One such woman, Jemima Wilkinson of Rhode Island, transformed herself into a genderless leader called the Universal Friend. The Friend eschewed gendered pronouns, adopted ambiguous but mostly male-style clothes, and led a group of some 250 followers into a settlement called New Jerusalem in upstate New York in the 1790s.”[11] Her change was widely