Abstract
While the American Revolution gave women numerous opportunities for growth at both personal and familial levels, it did not encourage women’s participation in politics as it still denied them the right to vote. The American Revolution was necessitated by political, economic, and social developments. The Stamp Act Congress of 1765 has been identified as a critical enabler of the movement (Larrie and Ferreiro, 132). Protests led to massacres and loss of property. Boston was a vital region for the revolution.
Background
The American Revolution took place in 1765 but there were several factors and events that contributed to the same. One important event was the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, which, as Larrie and Ferreiro (132) note, brought together representatives from the various British colonies of North America.
The main purpose of the meeting was to devise a plan to reject new taxation laws proposed by the British government. The fact that the economy had already been exposed and a majority of the population were struggling to make ends meet made the meeting, and the accompanying strikes, a necessity.
One of the key results of the revolution was the Boston massacre where a mob attacked British soldiers. Arguably, the revolution aimed at stopping social, political, and economic oppression for all Americans. Indeed, the fight also allowed women to find opportunities for growth.
However, as this essay will prove, this opportunity for growth was only relevant to social and economic development. Political development for women still remained an issue many years after the American Revolution. It can be argued that the main cause for this was the fact that culturally, politics was perceived as a male activity. Additionally, freedom of expression, which went hand-in-hand with politics was not extended to women as it was perceived they did not have the mental capacity to indulge in such progressive conversations.
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence came one year after the American Revolution. Identified thirteen colonies. The original draft is currently reserved as an archive under the Library of Congress. The draft gives a list of rights that the parties wanted to be observed. The document does not explicitly mention women’s rights.
Indeed, as Wolfe and Viegas note, the Declaration of Independence, which is also sometimes referred to as the Declaration of States, was realized in 1775, a year after the start of the American Revolution (36).
It is vital to note that the revolution lasted approximately 18 years. Thus, one can argue that the Declaration was part of the Revolution. Important to note, the draft of the document was done by Thomas Jefferson and is currently reserved under the Library of Congress.
Arguably, whereas there are numerous rights that are communicated through this document, women’s rights are not among them. In fact, it took another 72 years for women’s rights to be considered under the notion of the “Declaration of Sentiments” (Wolfe and Viegas 54).
The latter demanded both political and social justice for women. Arguably, the former gave blanket protection for rights but due to the numerous forms of interpretations of the rights, a highly specific document detailing specific women’s rights was needed.
This argument proves the thesis statement true, that even though the Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the US, it is also one that can be tied to the gradual oppression of females in the political field. Whether this is due to cultural beliefs that uphold misogyny or otherwise, can only be left to interpretation.
Women and the Spirit of ‘76
Women played an important role before, during and after the American Revolution. Examples of influential women during that era include Mercy Otis Warren, Phyllis Weatley, and Abigail Adams. One role associated with women during the revolution was fundraising. They also tended to the ill/sick. Additionally, they worked in the military camps.
The role of women before the American Revolution was significantly traditional. Arguably, there are things that changed about the general perception of gender after the revolution. Wolfe and Viegas explain that some of the activities women were tasked to do during the revolution included caring for the sick, doing chores in the military camps, and fundraising for the troops (16).
After the war, women were indeed seen as capable of continuing to work in similar capacities. However, it should be noted that they were not given tasks that would encourage direct participation in politics. Therefore, economically, women were able to get work more easily than before. This then indirectly raised their social status and removed some of the social biases that were present before the revolution. The argument supports the thesis presented at the beginning of this presentation. Arguably, the women that furthered the women’s agenda had to do so after the revolution as it only focused on men.
Address of the Congress to the Inhabitants of the United States of America
In an attempt to reduce the impact of the American Revolution, the British government offered several terms as a counter to the Declaration of Independence two years after it had started. Their counter document was, however, rejected due to the fact that it agreed to a majority of the things the thirteen states wanted, except for independence.
This document is crucial due to two reasons. The first is the fact that it shows that the British were willing to discuss the rights Americans wanted. However, just like before, women’s rights were not considered. One can argue that the British could not offer specific women’s rights based on the fact that the thirteen states had not specified them in their own document. The second is that the American states either did not see the need to identify the specific women’s needs or believed that once they got independence, they would be able to implement these rights. The former is more likely than the latter as women still had to fight for their rights to be recognized after the country got independence.
This is evident from the selected image of the address of congress to the inhabitants of the USA. The address highlighted the importance of getting independence from the British but offered no changes in how women were treated.
Inspection Roll of Negroes” Book No. 1
The book gives a list of names of slaves who were relocated after the war. They were combined with British soldiers who were also shipped out of the country at the end of the war. There are currently two editions of this same book but British soldiers were not included. The freedom of these slaves was guaranteed by the British government, not the American one.
The selected document highlights the personal information of the slaves that were evacuated after the war. Indeed, the promise for evacuation had been made by the British government, arguably, in an attempt to get more slaves to join the war.
There are two things that have to be discussed in relation to this documentation and women’s rights. The first is that the document does list a few women, showing that they were viewed as worthy of such freedom. For example, the selected picture shows the name Deborah Squash as one of the people declared free. The second thing that has to be considered is that no woman is listed individually but in relation to a husband. Interestingly, even the women who were separated from their spouses were still identified as wives and not as their own people. This further cements the thesis of the presentation.
The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught
The picture represents three things: The Boston Tea Party, The Boston Port Act, The closing of the Boston port. The image is symbolic but uses gender – men and women – to bring out its concept. Already shows societal treatment of women during that time.
The fifth image selected is referred to as “The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught.” An analysis of the image shows some man holding down a woman while another man is forcing the woman to drink something.
Some men are looking on while one woman is looking away. Additionally, one man has lifted the lady’s skirt up and appears to be peaking at her nakedness. The picture can depict a doctor trying to give medicine to his patient who does not want treatment. The means, therefore, justify the means.
However, the fact that a doctor is a man already shows the gender roles that were assigned during that time. The second analysis of the image is that the woman in America and the men are British, and they are forcing rules on America. Despite the interpretation, one thing is clear – that women were seen as weaker than men. This goes further to emphasize the thesis statement highlighted at the beginning of this presentation.
Works Cited
Address of the Congress to the Inhabitants of the United States of America; 5/9/1778; Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 – 1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Group 360; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, Web.
Allison, K. David and Larrie D. Ferreiro. The American Revolution: A World War. Smithsonian Institution, 2018.
Inspection Roll of Negroes Book No. 1; 1783; Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 – 1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Group 360; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. Web.
Photograph 66-G-5(106); The able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught. Illustrates the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party-the Boston Port Bill and the closing of the port. Copy of engraving by Paul Revere, 1774; General Photographic File of the Commission of Fine Arts, ca. 1910 – 1950; Records of the Office of War Information, Record Group 208; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.
Print #3 of the Declaration of Independence, 1976; 7/4/1776; Plates and Facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence, 1823 – 1951; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Web.
Wolfe, James and Jennifer Viegas. Understanding the Declaration of Independence. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2015.
Women and the Spirit of ’76; 1976; Records of the U.S. Information Agency, Record Group 306; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Web.