The study of newspaper advertisements in the colonial territories helps to draw detailed conclusions about the lifestyle of women in the 18th century. The essential proclamation of the bourgeois revolution, adopted in 1776, did not include women among those who have unalienable rights as human beings, liberty, and the common good. Many years before the Declaration of Rights and Liberties, they were sentenced to complete disenfranchisement. Generations of mid-18th-century American women fought hard to secure their minimal civil liberties for decades to come. These events have had a dramatic impact on the life of the United States today. Women became full members of society and also organized several movements for the freedom of law. The au pair job postings offer an assessment of what basic criteria were essential and sufficient for hiring. Most of the advantages presented in advertising are discriminatory.
The first paragraph contains offers of the services of a young black girl. The main attributes presented in the ad are age, race, work experience, and place of residence. While the last two may be necessary to work, the reference to skin color and age is racist and anti-aging (Eliza Lucas Pinckney 80). The second advertisement offered the domestic services of a young Scottish girl. Critically analyzing the paragraph, it can be said with certainty that the authors considered it necessary to indicate age, race, and nationality, which is a manifestation of discrimination.
Nevertheless, the second letter mentions the personal qualities of a girl. The authors noted that she is a “thoroughly honest” girl (Eliza Lucas Pinckney 80). This indicates that the degree of stereotypical perception of the image of girls was different from European countries, as a set of character traits, independent of gender or race, became an important criterion. It is important to note that a similar phenomenon is also evident in the modern US. Society has not been completely freed from stereotypes, so in advertisements for domestic work, the nationality of the worker and their gender are still essential criteria.
To summarize, women have come a long way in overcoming inequality and gaining freedom, but gender inequality is still an issue. However, they had relatively greater economic freedom than European society and were perceived through the prism of essential social determinants of colonial times. Thus, an analysis of these ads in the North Carolina newspapers shows that women have gone through severe legal trials that helped them achieve equality.
Work Cited
Eliza Lucas Pinckney. “Letters of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, 1739-1762.” University The South Carolina Press, 1997. pp. 78-86.