Women have experienced centuries of hardship on account of the oppressive dominion of American society. They have endured the absence of the fundamental American rights and unrestrained opportunities which were solely devoted to their male counterparts. However, women did participate in notable aspects of American society, including social movements and war. Beginning in the mid-1800s, women became extensively involved in social reform movements; by aggregating their social influence, they were able to counter detrimental institutions such as slavery and alcoholism. However, despite their aggressive action for reform, women were frequently hindered as their rights were stripped and their positions were taken for granted. African American women were bound to the institution of slavery, which continued to prevail as a prominent condition of society as the colonies entered the Civil War. Married white women were bound to their husbands by colonial law; their treatment was more humane than African American women, but their rights were still limited by the system. Between the 18th century and the 19th century, the ideology of American womanhood experienced changes which would become crucial to the founding and expansion of the Women’s Rights Movement beginning in 1848. …show more content…
Although the ideology of African American womanhood failed to change due to the American system, white American women were gradually recognized for their labor contributions and their overall importance to the preservation of American society between the 1770s and the outbreak of the Civil