Revolutionary mothers
MONOGRAPH WRITING ASSIGNMENT: REVOLUTIONARY MOTHERS
HIST 1301: United States History, Before 1877
In Revolutionary Mothers, Carol Berkin (2005) argues strongly that the Revolutionary War is a story of active participation of both women and men. Both the women and men in the society played a huge role in ensuring that they attain their liberty and freedom. Most of the people sacrificed their well being to see that the freedom of the society is achieved. Women played an active and vital role in the war; although it is common conception through history books which left reader with the suggestion of only involvement of men in the war, and greatly minimized or completely left out the contributions of women in the creation of our nation. Berkin focuses on women of the time; colonial white women, Native Americans, and African-Americans, and focuses on women of both high and low social classes; as well as women who supported the Patriot and Loyalist causes during the long period of struggle between England and North American colonies. She told the realistic tales and did not romanticize the roles of women in revolutionary war. Berkin depicted the hierarchical social class system existed in 1700s where women did not enjoy the rights. Most women were bound to domestic servitude. Legally, women had almost no rights and were at the mercy of their father or relatives if single, and their husband if married. Women were seen as helpmates to their husbands in order to make the family be successful. However, by the mid-1700s, wealthy women were no longer having to complete all household tasks themselves; they just had to supervise servants as they completed the tasks. This allowed them to take on the role of a “pretty gentlewoman” (Berkin 2005, 8), which required women to be charming companions to their husbands and to devote themselves to pleasing their men. Camp followers were lower-class women who cooked or did the laundry for the soldiers of both armies
HIST 1301: United States History, Before 1877
In Revolutionary Mothers, Carol Berkin (2005) argues strongly that the Revolutionary War is a story of active participation of both women and men. Both the women and men in the society played a huge role in ensuring that they attain their liberty and freedom. Most of the people sacrificed their well being to see that the freedom of the society is achieved. Women played an active and vital role in the war; although it is common conception through history books which left reader with the suggestion of only involvement of men in the war, and greatly minimized or completely left out the contributions of women in the creation of our nation. Berkin focuses on women of the time; colonial white women, Native Americans, and African-Americans, and focuses on women of both high and low social classes; as well as women who supported the Patriot and Loyalist causes during the long period of struggle between England and North American colonies. She told the realistic tales and did not romanticize the roles of women in revolutionary war. Berkin depicted the hierarchical social class system existed in 1700s where women did not enjoy the rights. Most women were bound to domestic servitude. Legally, women had almost no rights and were at the mercy of their father or relatives if single, and their husband if married. Women were seen as helpmates to their husbands in order to make the family be successful. However, by the mid-1700s, wealthy women were no longer having to complete all household tasks themselves; they just had to supervise servants as they completed the tasks. This allowed them to take on the role of a “pretty gentlewoman” (Berkin 2005, 8), which required women to be charming companions to their husbands and to devote themselves to pleasing their men. Camp followers were lower-class women who cooked or did the laundry for the soldiers of both armies