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Were men or women more central to the success of colonists in the American Revolution? – 2 February 2012

The prejudice that women are inferior to men has been around for a long time. Even now, women are still considered somewhat inferior. Very few societies in the world considered women to be more dominant than a man; however that does not really matter since none of these societies were not around for the American Revolution. Women in colonial times had hardly any rights, which made it hard for women to step outside the box and do something extraordinary. Most worked behind the scenes to help men. Those women that did something that was worth mentioning in history books did not do anything dealing with politics or warfare, except for perhaps one or two. Thus, it was the men that were more central to the success of the colonists during the American Revolution.

Women in colonial times were usually overlooked. They were considered less capable than men because of their lack of strength, emotional stability and, to some degree, intellect. Instead, they were the people who worked at home to sustain everyday life. Women would do household chores such as sewing, cooking, and cleaning for the entire family. They did not participate in strenuous activities like plowing the fields, hunting, and protecting the area from threats (Sage). Likewise, they did not have as many rights as men did. Yes, they were able to hold land, start a business, and earn an income, but this was while they were unmarried. Once they were married, however, those things immediately became the husband’s possession and the woman was also of the husband’s possession (Jordan). At no point in time were they able to vote, hold a political position, or deal with legal issues (Sage). Due to this behind the scenes work and the idea that women were vastly inferior to men (so they had few rights), it was hard for a woman, acting alone, to make a big impact during the American Revolution.

However, there were a couple women that went down in history. Abigail Adams is one of the more famous women in Colonial America. She, like the typical colonial woman, worked behind the scenes of her husband, John Adams, the second president of the United States. Her letters provided a lot of information of the past to historians, but the content of those letters made her important. Because her husband had to go to the Second Continental Congress, Adams remained at home where she wrote to her husband often (Abigail). The letters contained information of political matters discussed between the two. This means that Abigail Adams had some impact on the political decisions; however it was John Adams who ultimately chose what to act upon (Abigail). Apart from her, there was hardly anyone else who impacted the success of the colonists during the American Revolution and even she did not make much of a dent.

This lack of successful women is not at the fault of women per se. They were regarded as inferior and so they were treated as such. As for men, they had all the advantages. They were able to be actual citizens and thus vote on political matters (Sage). Colonial America was a very male dominated society, especially when there were a lot more men than there were women, and because they were able to do a lot more things, they tended to be able to break the rules of the norm and provide new ideas (Sage). Aside from their rights, on a more general basis, men were mainly the soldiers during the war. Soldiers did the main fighting that ultimately won the war. But individually, they provided much more of the necessities to start the American Revolution than any of the women.

When looking at a list of famous people in colonial America, one can see that the majority of them are men. Most of the names on the list are of great generals and politicians, roles only men could obtain in the time period. Someone that practically every American grows up learning about is Benjamin Franklin, a man who did numerous different things extremely well. He was an inventor and philosopher, but more importantly to the cause of the American Revolution, he, with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams (both men), wrote the Declaration of Independence. Their eloquence was unmatched, which made them the best people to write up such an important document (Benjamin). George Washington, another notable name, had an immense impact on the success on the American Revolution. He was a general as well as a politician. During the American Revolution, he trained 14,000 troops to battle through many fierce battles, such as Valley Forge and Fort Ticonderoga, winning some and losing others. However, he proved to be an amazing general with great skill and tactic. Eventually, with America now being its own country, Washington was unanimously elected as the country’s first president and turned out to be a pretty good one (General).

There are numerous men who have made a remarkable impact in the success on the colonists, almost too many to list, and yet there are only a handful of women who affected the colonies even slightly. The fault lies with the ideas of the times, though. Women were considered people who should just stay in the background and take care of the children, and so they did. They had little opportunity to excel, and so they did not. Abigail Adams had to live through her husband to make an impact in the political world, but Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were able to exist on their own and make a considerably greater impact on the colonies. Therefore, due to the circumstances of the time period, it is clear that men were more central to the success of the colonist in the American Revolution.

Works Cited "Abigail Adams Biography." //National First Ladies' Library//. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. .

"Benjamin Franklin." //The American Revolution//. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. .

"General George Washington." //The American Revolution//. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. .

Jordan, Ann. "What were women up to, anyway?" //Appleseeds// Dec. 2005: 2+. //Gale Power Search//. Web. 1 Feb. 2012.

Sage, Henry J. "Women in Colonial America." //Academic American History//. 2007. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. <http://www.academicamerican.com/colonial/topics/women.htm>.