Introduction
During the American Revolution, many women took active part in both the American and British armies. Apart from direct participation, many women also contributed to the revolution indirectly. In the 18th century America, women’s role in the society was limited to the boundary of home as child bearer and home maker. Politics, military activities and even social activities were almost 100% an all-male affair (Brooks 2013). Therefore, it was not easy for women in that era to directly participate in the American Revolution. Still, thousands of women participated.
The American Revolution started when England put in place the seven coercive acts. The British closed the port of Boston, extended the Quebec boundary till the Ohio River, limited the ability of self-governance around the Mississippi river area, forced colonists to provide housing for more British troops, and created a separate rule of trial for the British officers serving in America. These intolerable rules started the American Revolution (Brooks 2013). The war raised a question whether or not a woman could be a patriot, but through their action across different colonies, women demonstrated that they could. Women undertook many conventional as well as unconventional roles during the war to support the cause. This essay will discuss the roles women played in the 18th century American Revolution as nurses, active participants of movements, soldiers, and spies.
Nursing
Nursing for women was a common profession during the World War I and World War II, but nursing was not a common practice in the18th century America. In fact, there were no women in the military nursing camps during that time. However, during the American War of Independence, things started changing. Many women followed their husband, father, and brother to the military camps. Some women being economically unable to maintain their family without their husbands followed their husbands to wherever they went. Some in fear of problems like theft, rape and poverty in the absence of their husbands or male members of the family also followed their partners or other male members of the family in the military camps. These women were called camp followers (Courtney 1999). In 1777, Washington instructed to find nurses and recruit them from the camp followers. Many women served in the military camps as nurses and they got one time meal and a payment of 0.24 cents per day for the services, same as their male counterparts. However, compared to the number of male soldiers, the number of nurses who joined the forces was less (Courtney 1999). This was primarily because the mortality rate in the war hospitals among both sick as well as caregivers was very high.
Movements
Women started the war from within the boundaries of the house much before the actual revolution took place. The first of such movement was called the Homespun Movement. Instead of wearing clothes made from British materials, patriotic women started a long tradition of weaving and making their own clothes. In many parts of the country like Massachusetts, New York and North Carolina, women started boycotting the British textile (Brooks 2013). This movement helped the American soldiers during the war as well. During the war, a large part of the American war uniforms and blankets, which were made using non-British textile materials, were supplied by these women.
Apart from the Homespun Movement, there were a few other areas where the boycott of British products took place. For example, Jane Mecom, Benjamin Franklin’s youngest sister, started a home based soap making process and helped the military during the war by supplying home made products (Brooks 2013).
Although Boston Tea Party of 1773 was the most well-known boycott movement before the American revolutionary war took place, women in America actually started such boycott movement well before. In Edenton, North Carolina, “A Society of Patriotic Ladies” staged a boycott against tea and other British products in the 1770s (Courtney 1999). They favored using and making American products. In 1778, a group of women marched to a warehouse in North Carolina and confiscated coffee that were slated to go to England from America.
Many cities created their own patriotic women's organization. They helped the American Revolution movement by collecting money for the war. Pennsylvania governor’s wife Esther de Berdt Reed and Sarah Franklin Bache collected funds that were then handed over to Martha Washington. Martha Washington handed that fund over to George Washington. Other states also followed that example. In 1780 alone, the colonies raised almost $300,000 through female run organizations (Courtney 1999).
Soldiers
Women at that time were not allowed to join the military forces. Still, many young women served secretly in the army. These women generally disguised themselves as men by binding their breasts, cutting their hair and adopting male names. Their motivations for joining the military forces varied, but most of them were poor and wanted to earn money for their family (Brooks 2013). However, they also wanted to have a rare glory to fight for their country.
Deborah Sampson was one of the most noted individual female soldiers of the American Revolution movement. She joined forces because she wanted to avoid hard labor in the agricultural fields. In 1782, she joined as Timothy Thayer, but her identity was soon discovered, and she was removed from the army. However, she re-enlisted as Robert Shurtleff in Captain George Webb’s 4th Massachusetts Regiment. She then participated in many battles before becoming seriously injured in 1783 (Brooks 2013). While treating her, the physician discovered her identity, and she was honorably discharged from the army.
Margaret Cochran Carbin was also another prominent woman figure in the American Revolution movement. Her husband was an artilleryman in the Captain Proctor’s 1st Company of Pennsylvania Artillery. Margaret Carbin was a camp follower and during her time in the camp, she learned from her husband how to load and fire cannons. She soon became popular among others because of her precise aim with the canon. In 1776, Margaret was assisting her husband in Fort Washington, New York. Her husband during the fight got mortally wounded. She took over the artillery and fought on. In the process, she also got injured (Courtney 1999). She was discharged from the military unit after the war. She received a pension from the Congress for her contribution to the war.
May Ludwig Hays was also a camp follower like Margaret Corbin. Her husband was also in the artillery division. She used to supply water to the soldiers during the war. Water supply was generally carried out by men at that time, but she was one of the few exceptions who worked alongside the male soldiers in the war front. During a war in 1778, when her husband was wounded, she also served matross duties (Courtney 1999).
Many other women also tried to serve the army but were not allowed. For example, Ann Bailey enlisted herself in the army in Boston in 1777 as Sam Gay, and for good service in the army was promoted to the level of Corporal. However, after her identity was identified, she was immediately de-listed and was imprisoned for 48 hours (Brooks 2013). After her release, Bailey again tried to join back, but again her identity was discovered, and she served another term in jail.
Spies
Women also served as spies during the American Revolution. It is difficult to guess how many women acted as spies during the war as there were no names documented in the record for spies. Most of these spies worked as cooks or maids in the British or American military camps; they usually got these kinds of job quite easily. Also, as most of the battles were fought on farm lands, city streets and front yards of homes, spies easily carried the messages and supplies without detection.
The American army did not have any spy system till the siege of Boston. However, when the war moved to New York, the Army set up a Culper Spy Ring and devised the code name “355” for women spies. Nancy Morgan Hart had a scarred face. She sneaked into the British military camps, posing as a mad man. She had a tall and muscular physique, and hence, nobody ever took her as a spy ("Female spies of” 2014). She gave a lot of information about the British movements along the Georgian border.
Another female spy, working in the Culper Spy Ring, was so adept at covering her identity that even today historians are unable to find out about her. She was simply referred to as the “Lady” in the Culper Ring documentation. In July 1780, the British planned to attack the French forces in Newport, but “Lady” gave the British a wrong tip-off that the French Forces were in New York ("Female spies of” 2014). This helped as British forces waited till the French forces reached Newport. During the wait, French forces were able to march to Yorktown without any problem and joined the American forces. The combined force of French and American armies defeated the British forces in July, 1780. Ann Bates was another spy who was originally a Philadelphia school teacher. She acted as a spy for the British army and supplied information about continental troops and supplies to the British high command ("Female spies of” 2014).
Other Roles
Apart from the above roles, a few women had huge political influence indirectly during the American Revolution. Mercy Otis Warren was a political play writer. She advised George Washington and Benjamin Franklin on political and reform matters. She is thought to be one of the most influential persons of that era. Also, one should not forget about the contribution of Betsy Ross, who produced the first American flag in the summer of 1776.
Conclusion
In the late 18th century, when the American Revolution took place, women in America played only a very few defined roles in the society. Women were seen as child bearer and homemaker in general. They were not allowed in the army. However, during the revolution, a lot of things started changing. Many patriotic women came out to fight for the country. Many other participated in the cause through various other means. Women largely helped the military by sewing uniforms and blankets. Women, who followed their husbands in the military camps, often helped with cooking and laundry. However, after 1776, women started serving in the military forces as nurses. A few women also fought bravely in the war field under the male disguise. Some other women helped the military and intelligence services as spies. A few women also helped the politicians with valuable inputs. Overall, the revolution gave women a chance to break free from their traditional roles and show others that they were equally competent in other areas.
Work Cited
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. "The Roles of Women in the Revolutionary War". History of Massachusetts. 21 Feb 2013. Web. 17 Dec 2014 <http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-roles-of-women-in-the-revolutionary-war/>
Courtney, Gillian and Ranger, Park. "Contributions of Women during the American Revolution". Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site. 12 Mar 1999. Web. 17 Dec 2014 <http://www2.lhric.org/spbattle/wohist.html>
"Female spies of the American Revolution". DIA Public Affairs. 1 Jun 2014. Web. 17 Dec 2014 <http://www.dia.mil/News/Articles/tabid/3092/Article/9071/female-spies-of-the-american-revolution.aspx>
