In the 1700’s, women performed all the domestic tasks as they were not seen equal to men. During the Revolutionary War women stepped up and proved that they were not beneath men. Showcasing that they could be as strong as the men and that they weren’t just made to cook and be tasteful companions for their husbands. Without women’s support in the Revolutionary War, the war wouldn’t have been as successful. They managed businesses, became secret soldiers, and opposed British Policies, proving that they could perform tasks just as well as men.
With their husbands going off to war or Congress it was up to the wives to take over their businesses. Taking on extra work and learning new skills these women did excellent jobs of keeping the businesses and farms afloat. If it weren’t for these diligent women the farms and businesses would have gone bankrupt. Since men were the sole bread winners and women were merely housewives, it was extremely unusual for women to work let alone manage businesses.
Considering that the women had no other choice, they adapted well to budgeting, planting, managing staff, regulating livestock and buying supplies (uudb. org). Aside from running businesses, some women even went as far as providing supplies to the soldiers. When the soldiers ran out of bullets, Abigail Adams melted down her silverware to make bullets for the muskets (Abigail Adams Biography). Without the women’s efforts in the businesses and farms the economy would have fallen by the wayside.
With the country being at war the economy was already taking a hit. “The American Revolution had left the nation deeply in debt. The Federal government owed $52 million” —– If the women wouldn’t have taken care of the businesses and crops the economy would have been in a deeper state of debt than it was already. The women’s efforts could have possibly prevented the economy from crashing. Not afraid to fight for America’s independence women served as secret soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
Unable to serve because of their sex, they posed as men by cutting their hair short and binding their breast with bandages (The Roles of Women in the Revolutionary War). Many women, to keep up with the facade, would adopt masculine titles. Ann Bailey was a female soldier who enlisted in 1777. She used the name Sam Gay as her alias. Her identity was soon uncovered a few weeks later and she was arrested and imprisoned. Bailey’s determination pushed her to enlist for the second time, where she was discovered and imprisoned again (The Roles of women in the Revolutionary War).
The misconception that men are more courageous than women is proven wrong time and time again. The Revolutionary War pushed women out of their comfort zone and urged them to show their courage by fighting the war. The first political act of women was the first organized opposition to British Policy (The Daughters of Liberty). The opposition was when the Daughters of Liberty (group of patriotic women) manifested their patriotic loyalty by refusing to buy British goods and boycotted tea (Keenan 1).
Before the Daughters of Liberty women had no part in politics. Following the Townshend Acts in 1767, women began to openly oppose British tyranny( The Daughters of liberty). British tyranny and unfair taxing was the cause of the Revolutionary War, infuriating the Americans and pushing them to want to break free from Great Britain. Women made their country less dependent on British goods by finding alternatives for tea and wearing homespun clothing instead of importing material from Britain.
According to —-,”women found alternatives by making herbal teas from various plants like raspberry, mint and basil, which they referred to as Liberty Tea”. Taking matters into their own hands the Daughters of Liberty striked a local merchant who was hoarding coffee( The Daughters of Liberty). In a letter to John Adams describing the incident Abigail Adams writes, “A number of females… assembled with a cart and trucks, marched down to the warehouse and demanded the keys… one of them seized him by his neck and tossed him into the cart… hen opened the warehouse, hoisted out the coffee themselves, put it into the trucks and drove off”.
In this situation it seems that the merchant was stingy and didn’t want to sell the coffee at a decent price so the women simply took it. This shows that women can be ruthless and aren’t afraid of being assertive and courageous to take what they want. Women being assertive and courageous causing them to take charge is one of the reasons women played such a major role in the American Revolution. Growing tiresome of the house duties women rose to occasion of providing aid during the war.
Showing their expertise in managing businesses, fighting in the war, and voicing their opinions in politics, women helped in the fight for independence. Not rendering themselves useless women kept occupied on the farms, battlefield, and at protests. No doubt the Revolutionary War wouldn’t have been as victorious if it weren’t for the women keeping the economy from crashing, fighting for freedom, and working on the repealment of the Townshend Acts. Regardless, to what the men of that time would say, women contributed to the success of the war just as much as men.
