Gender Roles In The American Revolutionary War

Military conflicts often produce unanticipated social transformations. The case of the American Revolutionary War is no exception. The war had awakened a new class consciousness through the struggle over who would rule and who would fight. Slaves and Indians began to see their way of life change by the outcome of the war and women began to expand their role within the home. But, not all things changed for these groups. Power still lied in the hands of the planters and the elite. Although, societal realities were changing for all demographics, political power remained secured in the planters and elite. Throughout the eight years of America’s battles for independence; class, race, and gender experienced changes within the new nation that was

Since the men were gone women began to have a more prominent role within the household by having to assume responsibilities they otherwise would not have had. From the documentary “Mary Silliman’s War” we know that women were not so caught up in the politics of the fighting and generally opposed it. We also know that women helped as washer women in refugee camps for displaced citizens or at army encampments. Gender roles did not change drastically after the war had been fought, but the new roles they did experience were an

White Americans won their independence and experienced social change, like a new class consciousness that brought every class closer together. Slaves got their first taste of freedom by being able to join the army and help in the war effort. Indians saw their little respect from Americans wither away as the revolutionaries won their independence, they knew their land was soon going to be taken from them. Woman, while not by much, enjoyed an improved standing in the home and American culture as a whole was shifted from a virtuous and sceptic nation to one with a little more hierarchy than intended. The American Revolutionary War had been fought to garner the right to govern their own country, but had the unintended consequence of creating a more equal nation for