Men And Women In The 1700s Essay
Freedom. Is that not what everyone wished for during the 1700s, especially the slaves and women? The Sons of Liberty wanted to get away from Britain’s rule, ordinary men craved for freedom from the mother country’s endless taxing, but women and slaves had the least independence even in their own country. White people looked at African Americans as animals and half human. Women could not even own land, much less vote. Although men played a big part during the war, slaves and women helped shape the outcome of it. The American Revolution brought along great impacts on slavery and the status of women, changing the way they were to live forever.
During the 1700s, slaves played a very important role on the plantation, from sowing the land to …show more content…
At the time, women were considered inferior to men, a status that is very clear from the lack of legal rights after a woman married. The law did not notice wives’ yearning for independence in economic and political matters before the war began. Even one of the First Ladies, Dolly Madison, advocated early women’s rights, writing to John Madison, “Remember the ladies.” Before the war, the status for single, unmarried women was higher than that of the married woman; they could buy or sell land, accumulate property, and sue or be sued, almost like the rights of a man. But a single woman had to rely on someone, most likely a male relative or family member, for financial support. On the other hand, once a woman married, she lost all her independent legal, political, or economical rights, because she merely became part of her husband. When husbands and brothers left to fight, women had to run the farms and plantations on their own, which were usually men’s jobs. Phillis Wheatley was an African American woman, making her the perfect example of how the War changed the way they were looked upon. She wrote beautiful poems and received a large sum of money which she used to buy her freedom. Wheatley became the very first African American woman to have her work published. In the end, the Revolution inspired women to be more free and
During the 1700s, slaves played a very important role on the plantation, from sowing the land to …show more content…
At the time, women were considered inferior to men, a status that is very clear from the lack of legal rights after a woman married. The law did not notice wives’ yearning for independence in economic and political matters before the war began. Even one of the First Ladies, Dolly Madison, advocated early women’s rights, writing to John Madison, “Remember the ladies.” Before the war, the status for single, unmarried women was higher than that of the married woman; they could buy or sell land, accumulate property, and sue or be sued, almost like the rights of a man. But a single woman had to rely on someone, most likely a male relative or family member, for financial support. On the other hand, once a woman married, she lost all her independent legal, political, or economical rights, because she merely became part of her husband. When husbands and brothers left to fight, women had to run the farms and plantations on their own, which were usually men’s jobs. Phillis Wheatley was an African American woman, making her the perfect example of how the War changed the way they were looked upon. She wrote beautiful poems and received a large sum of money which she used to buy her freedom. Wheatley became the very first African American woman to have her work published. In the end, the Revolution inspired women to be more free and