Role Of Women In History Essay

Women have always played an important role in the history of the United States. Throughout different time periods, their roles in society and in government have changed in many ways. Whether women were helping the war manufacturing effort, striving for suffrage, helping soldiers during the war, or just raising their children; their roles have been influential to the social structure of the United States today. Their desire for equal rights, their willingness to help American soldiers, and the absence of men in the workplace are responsible for the changing role of women.
The first factor that caused the changing role of women in history was their desire for equal rights. Women have always wanted to have the same rights as men, in politics and

Before the Civil War, women were rarely involved in any part of the war, but during it, women started to help the war effort by becoming nurses, and now by joining the Army. Document 4 is a letter from a war doctor; in her letter, she writes, “my post the open field between the bullet and the hospital...I write letters home for wounded soldiers, not political addresses.” As women like Clara Barton become more willing to help in wartime, they get more opportunities to become involved; whether being a nurse or a disguised soldier. Another example of this willingness is shown in Document 7; it is a photo of Eleanor Roosevelt speaking with American soldiers in the Galapagos Islands. Not everyone needs to serve in order to help with the war. Women like Eleanor Roosevelt play a huge role by lifting the spirits of American soldiers. Although she is not serving, she is helping the war, just like many other women over time. Ultimately, one factor that led to the changing role of women was their willingness to help American soldiers; in the beginning of American wars, women were rarely involved in any aspect; but they later became nurses, soldiers, and friends of