The Colonial Era was an interesting time for women. This time period was the birth of women’s rights because they believed they deserved more rights than they were given. Some might say it was a golden age for them, and then others would disagree. There are some specific authors that state that the Colonial Era wasn’t an emancipating time for women. They state their opinions in the 3 articles; “Women in Work and Poverty: The Difficulties of Earning a Living” by Lyle Koehler, “Gender, Work and Wages in Colonia New England” by Gloria L. Main, and “The Myth of the Golden Age” by Mary Beth Norton. However, there are authors that disagree, such as Lois Green Carr and Lorena S. Walsh, the authors of “The Planters Wife: The Experiment of White Women …show more content…
I trust that being able to work was a huge factor in women’s freedoms, and so does Main, the author of “Gender, Work and Wages in Colonia New England”. Main’s opinion seems to sway regarding how the Colonial Era was liberating for women. She talks about women working in the fields in order to help the family, which is a freedom because usually men would not allow women to do such labor. Then Main begins to discuss new inventions that were geared towards women that stuck them back in the house. These new tools included spinning wheels, firkins, brewing vats, and dye pots. These things separated labor between the sexes and thus separated them physically. Men continued to complete tasks such as paddling canoes, washing or shearing sheep or pressing cider, which women were prohibited from doing. “Even then, they did not mow grass or grain, because most of them did not have the height or upper body strength to handle scythes” (Main 48) Main seems to view the Colonial Era as a time where women were trying to break free from social norms, but men did not seem to notice. She discusses a specific woman, Mrs. Brown, who did a lot of heavy labor that was seen as only a man’s job. She “had sowed rye for its seed. At harvest time she prepared breakfast, nursed her child, walked five or six miles to the field, reaped her rye (finishing before any of the men), and walked back home” (Main 48). Main has a passion for strong, independent women during the Colonial Era, but doesn’t believe it was a golden age for