Question

In what ways is Women's History vital to understanding American history?

Answer 1

Women form fifty percent of the population. Understanding history without the role of women in it is like trying to drink water from an empty glass.

Women have a role to play in every historical event.

In the colonial era, women were treated differently in each colony leading to different experiences of women in each colony. The first English people, members of the Roanoke colony first came to America in North Carolina in July 1587. Virginia Dare was the first female child to be born in the United States on August 18, 1587.

In 1619, in a day and age when women were auctioned for a hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco per woman (the women were known as tobacco brides), young, single women from England chose to get married to men in Jamestown.

In puritan New England, the history of women was different. The puritans believed that women should stay at home to take care of the house and family and thus, the history of women changed and was different. As early as 1767, in New England, tax supporting schooling was started for young girls although it was not compulsory. In the 1800s, North Hampton also started tax funded, voluntary schooling for girls. Society was changing and it did reflect in the way women were treated.

In New Mexico as well as Southern Colorado, two Spanish colonies, where the population of Hispanic women was large, women played a pivotal role in family and culture. Women were also sexually exploited as well as made slaves and the children born to these women from their sexually exploiters i.e. the aristocrats were not legitimately acknowledged. This meant that women as well as the children they mothered suffered.

There are a number of prominent women throughout history. The tale of Pocahontas is very famous indeed, with a great many families in Virginia claiming her as their ancestor.

Cecily Jordan Farrar was a settler in Jamestown and eventually was the first defendant in a civil suit pertaining to breach of promise in English North America. (Cecily Jordan v Greville Pooley).

In 1600’s Anne Hutchinson was a woman who held religious meetings in her place of abode that attracted women as well as influential men and the clergy began to view her as a threat.

The Salem trials in 1692 prosecuted a number of women for being witches.

Housewives, where women had no separate legal identity from their husbands were common much throughout the colonial era. The role of a woman was that of a wife and a mother and her place was in the home. Although the concept of housewife has undergone change over the years, the position of women as wives and mothers as their primary role still exists in America today.

In 1650, Anne Dudley Bradstreet was the first female poet who was published in America. In 1756, Lydia Chapin Taft from Uxbridge, Massachussettes was the first female from the colonies who was known to have voted in place of her dead husband.

In the American Revolution, women played an important role especially in the spheres of printing and publishing. Their efforts in these areas led to the boycott of British consumer goods after 1765. Deborah Sampson fought in the Revolutionary war even as she was dressed as a man. In March 1776, Abagail Adams asked her husband, James Adams to make favourable laws towards women in the code of laws to be enacted.

Quakers also had a much favourable view with respect to human rights. Women after have made significant contributions.

Women made contributions to health care sector especially in the field of mental health. Women took jobs, helped the economy until they got married right until the twentieth century. Women have made strides in every field since then.

The latest example is Rosa Parks who is known as the mother of the civil rights movement.

At every stage, women have made valuable contributions. A history of the United States without the history of women is no history at all.

Women form fifty percent of the population. Understanding history without the role of women in it is like trying to drink water from an empty glass.

Women have a role to play in every historical event.

In the colonial era, women were treated differently in each colony leading to different experiences of women in each colony. The first English people, members of the Roanoke colony first came to America in North Carolina in July 1587. Virginia Dare was the first female child to be born in the United States on August 18, 1587.

In 1619, in a day and age when women were auctioned for a hundred and fifty pounds of tobacco per woman (the women were known as tobacco brides), young, single women from England chose to get married to men in Jamestown.

In puritan New England, the history of women was different. The puritans believed that women should stay at home to take care of the house and family and thus, the history of women changed and was different. As early as 1767, in New England, tax supporting schooling was started for young girls although it was not compulsory. In the 1800s, North Hampton also started tax funded, voluntary schooling for girls. Society was changing and it did reflect in the way women were treated.

In New Mexico as well as Southern Colorado, two Spanish colonies, where the population of Hispanic women was large, women played a pivotal role in family and culture. Women were also sexually exploited as well as made slaves and the children born to these women from their sexually exploiters i.e. the aristocrats were not legitimately acknowledged. This meant that women as well as the children they mothered suffered.

There are a number of prominent women throughout history. The tale of Pocahontas is very famous indeed, with a great many families in Virginia claiming her as their ancestor.

Cecily Jordan Farrar was a settler in Jamestown and eventually was the first defendant in a civil suit pertaining to breach of promise in English North America. (Cecily Jordan v Greville Pooley).

In 1600’s Anne Hutchinson was a woman who held religious meetings in her place of abode that attracted women as well as influential men and the clergy began to view her as a threat.

The Salem trials in 1692 prosecuted a number of women for being witches.

Housewives, where women had no separate legal identity from their husbands were common much throughout the colonial era. The role of a woman was that of a wife and a mother and her place was in the home. Although the concept of housewife has undergone change over the years, the position of women as wives and mothers as their primary role still exists in America today.

In 1650, Anne Dudley Bradstreet was the first female poet who was published in America. In 1756, Lydia Chapin Taft from Uxbridge, Massachussettes was the first female from the colonies who was known to have voted in place of her dead husband.

In the American Revolution, women played an important role especially in the spheres of printing and publishing. Their efforts in these areas led to the boycott of British consumer goods after 1765. Deborah Sampson fought in the Revolutionary war even as she was dressed as a man. In March 1776, Abagail Adams asked her husband, James Adams to make favourable laws towards women in the code of laws to be enacted.

Quakers also had a much favourable view with respect to human rights. Women after have made significant contributions.

Women made contributions to health care sector especially in the field of mental health. Women took jobs, helped the economy until they got married right until the twentieth century. Women have made strides in every field since then.

The latest example is Rosa Parks who is known as the mother of the civil rights movement.

At every stage, women have made valuable contributions. A history of the United States without the history of women is no history at all.