Women's Activism During The Revolutionary War

The Revolutionary War consisted of different “revolutions” for those of minority classes, providing these people with the opportunity of breaking past societal deference and obtaining a voice in society. The increased need for the participation of women, non-landowning men, and slaves in the war allowed increased activism for women, a stake in society for the impoverished, and potential freedom for slaves. However, this short term opportunity excluded Natives, whose struggle since European arrival only worsened as tribes divided and crumbled. Rebel women saw an increase the vitality of their societal and familial roles, spurring a surge of women activism. Mothers, left to take care of their families, were tasked with the critical responsibility of teaching their children to place the wellbeing of the nation on the forefront (PP 30). “[C]olonial women of every region moved quickly to aid in the mobilization of war” by sewing soldiers’ clothing and melting material for ammunition; this made up for the continental government’s lack of resources to
As landowners realized the laborious strife that would come along with participating in the war, many bought themselves out of serving in the rebel army and left the fighting to poor farmers and indentured servants (RTP Eds. 123). These laboring-class men developed “bonds of ‘unit cohesion,’” which allowed them to band together in “collective protest and defiance” against landowners who tried to break their promises of land or money (Martin 127). The Revolution caused many to challenge societal deference, such as George Twelves Hewes, whose involvement in protests “transformed him, giving him a sense of… personal worth” that allowed him to “cast off the constraints of deference” (Young