History raves about the heroics of men in war.but few instances are mentioned in which female courage was displayed. Yet during every conflict, and the peaceful years between, they too were there.# Through a series of events Deborah Sampson# blazed a trail for all women to follow. In war, Deborah proved to the world that women could not only work as well as men, but also sometimes work better then men. Deborah Sampson changed America's view on women from housewives to today's generation of women in the work field. Deborah was definitely influential in woman's evolution in economy. .
Deborah Sampson was born on May 17, 1760. Deborah lived a childhood of poverty and while she was raised in Plympton Massachusetts. The family could trace their lineage to the Mayflower on both sides including such notables as Priscilla Alden and Myles Standish. Her mother, Deborah Sampson was a very ill widow who had six children, Deborah being the oldest. Deborah's father was a seaman who left the family in search for adventure, and had died in a shipwreck. Although he was thought to have been dead, rumors arouse that Deborah's father just walked out on his family, pretending to go to sea, and truly starting a new life in Maine. Deborah's mother could not continue to raise the six children on her own so she sent them away to live with relatives and various neighbors. Deborah was first sent to live with her mother's cousin, Miss. Fuller. At the Fuller house Deborah was content learning the alphabet and reading. Three years after Deborah arrived at the Fuller house Miss. Fuller became ill. Only three short days later, Miss. Fuller died, leaving Deborah with no where to go. An eighty year old women named Mrs. Thatcher was willing to take Deborah in, but there were many jobs to be done. Due to her age Mrs. Thatcher needed help dressing, cooking, and eating. Also, Deborah was needed to help keep the fire going. At the young age of eight, this was clearly too much work for Deborah.
We, as women, especially those of us who live in liberal parts of the world, often take for granted the rights and benefits which we have. We forget that in other times, women were not considered to be equal to their male counterparts; they were considered to be but "helpers" to the men...
