The laws of femme covert were formulated in order for the women in the society whom had been married, had to ne submissive to their husbands. This means that the control of their lives were under their husbands. In the law, the women who were unmarried is claimed to have every right to own a piece of land. This law was formulated during the colonial era. The women’s role in the society was perceived to be oppressive especially during the colonial period they were regarded as homemakers and nothing else. The Revolution War that occurred in the 18th century changed the lives of the women in the society (Taschek).
The women began to form groups or organizations in the early 1700 and the late 1600s (Taschek). Most of the groups at this time were made up of the white women. These organizations are said to have One of the most notable groups to be formed at that time was the Daughters of Liberty in 1765. The daughters of liberty was claimed to have been a very active. It was claimed that they helped in the making of clothes when the people in their communities. When it came to the war, they were very instrumental in that they ensured that there was an abundance of clothes for the soldiers (Potter). The women, therefore, came together in large numbers sewed the soldier clothes and uniforms. This gave a sense of pride to them in that they were doing something positive during the times of war. The women were also instrumental in the boycott of tea. The boycotting of tea was caused by the increase of taxes on tea and the people did not want to purchase the British materials anymore.
The other organization or group was that of the loyalist women. The women in this group helped a lot during the times of war such as some of the women traveled for long period of the night so as to wake up the minutemen. An example of the person was Sybil Ludington (Potter). Some of the loyalist women were used as the spies. The colonial women are stated to have been good at using their kitchen utensils such as knives when it came to defending themselves. When they become spies, they learnt on how to use the guns. When the war ended, the women began to fight for their rights such as education.
In conclusion, the women during the colonial period were being oppressed by the men in the society. There was a law that was formulated called the laws of femme covert, which made it clear that the men were superior to the women especially when it comes to marriage. In the 18th century, the women began to formulate groups or organizations that were very useful in the boycott of teas, sewing the uniforms or clothes of the soldiers during the war of revolution.
Work cited
Potter, Michael. Loyalism, Women and Standpoint Theory. Irish Political Studies, 2012.
Taschek, Karen. Daughters of Liberty: The American Revolution and the Early Republic. Juvenile Nonfiction, 2011.
