In the Colonies European American women led a relatively free life, while all except a very few African American women were true slaves, and as such, lived in a vastly different manner.
In Europe, tradition held that women be esteemed, but being inferior, they must be guided by men. English Common Law allowed a single woman upon reaching legal maturity, a few rights. She could own property, retain control of her monies, and enter into contracts, but because in Europe a single woman was viewed as unproductive, she was generally discriminated against. Married women basically ceased to exist and had no rights other than those granted by her husband. Upon marriage, a woman became "one with her husband." .
Luckily for women in the Colonies, although Colonial Law was based on English Common Law, many restrictions and codes were greatly relaxed. Attitudes for the most part, were much more lenient. Single and married Colonial women often worked outside the home and/or engaged in business and other pursuits considered to be in the male realm. They owned property, voted in some elections and even chose their own mates. Rape and physical abuse of any female were punishable by law. They could divorce their husbands. They made many decisions about their lives for themselves without being ridiculed and were even admired and considered to be the equal (almost) of a man, as when Margaret Brent, a landowner of more than on thousand acres, was appointed the executor of Maryland governor Leonard Calvert's estate.
While one European American woman described the Colonies as a "paradise on Earth", most African American women probably felt as if they had been condemned to a "hell on earth." Viewed as "trade goods," equal only to livestock or produce, their purpose was to generate income for their "master" by producing offspring that could be indentured, sold, or put to work or by working themselves.
The role of colonial women changed immensely during the American Revolution. ... Nevertheless, women did not win these rights they hoped for. ... The revolution redefined women's rights in society. This had an everlasting effect on the growth of the American women. ... This was not only a revolution for America but also a revolution for the women of this time....
Only with the new ideology that emerged from that war, did the amendment of women's educational rights become considerable. Very few colonial children received formal educations in the early years. ... Without this new ideology stemming from war, women may have never gained equal educational rights, because prior to this men had seen women as unserviceable in areas not pertaining to the household. This was the first time in American history that real strides, in the education of women, were made. This did not mean that education could always be applied, except to their sons of co...
Only with the new ideology that emerged from that war, did the amendment of women's educational rights become considerable. Very few colonial children received formal educations in the early years. ... Without this new ideology stemming from war, women may have never gained equal educational rights, because prior to this men had seen women as unserviceable in areas not pertaining to the household. This was the first time in American history that real strides, in the education of women, were made. This did not mean that education could always be applied, except to their sons of co...
In colonial America, many people expected to gain individual rights, however many people did not receive equal rights. ... Describe the experiences of and opportunities for women throughout colonial America and between the colonies and England. ... In colonial America, women could have been considered indentured servants for all intents and purposes. ... Women did not have equal rights and privileges compared to the men in the colonies. ... As for opportunity, in one respect did the colonial women differ from the English women, there were more unmarried men in the colonies. 6. ...
The colonial assemblies of the colonies were much like the House of Commons in Britain. ... Compared to today, the colonial assemblies weren't democratic in the least. Unlike modern politics, these assemblies did not include the opinions of women or non-whites. ... They believed that any assault on them by local printers was an attack on the rights of Americans. ... The colonial assemblies were failures in America's past that influenced politics today. ...
In depth, each factor exploited slavery differently but also as an entity; all this established slavery as the primary reason of Colonial America's success. ... Agriculture would later become the backbone of colonial America and took the place of gold as the most sought after market. ... Colonial men and women alone could not provide enough work forces needed. ... Codes, ones as severe as the Barbados slave code took away what little rights they already had. ... At bottom of the social class and no rights slaves did not know of any other life. ...
During the colonial era, the status and dominance of men overtook the roles women played when they demonstrated their strength, rights given to them over women, and inequality between the two genders. ... As men strived to create differences, change the country and most importantly aid America in becoming an independent nation, women of the colonial era did just as much to support their families and build a well- established entity. ... Women of the 1700's in America served as the foundation of every family. ... Praised by colonials in America, Martha strived to be by her husband's s...
American literature as know it has come along way. Many things that were consider unacceptable for print in the colonial times, such as sexual expression, are considered acceptable for today. Also many events have led to the literature as we know it also, like women's suffrage and emancipation for African Americans as well as many wars that have been fought in the history of the United States. ... A new sexual freedom for women was also coming to be. ... Also around this time African American were also gaining some new found rights and freedoms. ...
A Battle for Equal Rights Among Sexes Over an extended period of time, women have struggled constantly for equal rights. ... In colonial America, women who earned their own living usually became seamstresses or kept boardinghouses. ... Soon after the American Female Moral Reform Society (AFMRS) was established, women not only began to stand for their own rights, but also the rights of slaves. ... This was the first convention that discussed women's rights. ... This helped women gain national coverage and draw attention to the needs and rights of women in America. ...