“Women of Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America” is an effort of acknowledging the contributions made by women in American Revolution. Linda K. Kerber Has tried to see the whole affair through a woman’s eye. After reading this book a reader comes to know several hidden aspects of the revolution and also how woman played a major role in during the event. The book discovers a number of facts which was ignored knowingly or unknowingly by a number of books, previously written on the issue by historians. The book has been written after an intensive research as several examples given by the author are corroborated by several facts which include letters, diaries, authentic and legal records. This paper discusses several aspects and facts related to the role of women in American Revolution and further analyses their condition in the contemporary American society.
Though there are several books available on the issue but due to some salient facts and the vision adopted in the book by the Linda Kerber, the ‘women of republic’ makes the impression as the best book available on the subject. Linda Kerber makes it clear by a bunch of arguments and facts that the American Revolution was also fought by the women. Kerber in her book not only given new thoughts and direction to women roles but also goes into an argument on earlier work done by some other authors like Bernard Bailyn, J. R. Pole and Gardon Wood and others who kept women out of space by not giving them any credit.
The author argues that it was not possible for men to fight if the women would not have assisted them in the kitchen, farms, spying, laundries and hospitals along with at many other tasks. Author has presented the voices of several women who think that they have contributed in the American Revolution but their contributions have not been duly recognized. Author has established that how it was the failure of American political ideology to design something for the American women and they were constraint to develop their own idea of nationalism. They successfully developed the idea and proved themselves in several areas. American society recognized their contributions in later periods when they remarkably contributed in a number of areas which were considered reticent for the men only. The author portrays the journey of American women over a period of time and shows how they have established themselves.
Kerber also mentions that the writers who laid the foundation of republican philosophy given very less place to women hence if women, who think that played a major role in revolution need to write their own philosophy During the years 1760 - 1810 some changes occurred which were result of an evolutionary process. These changes brought a stronger recognition for women but again were limited to domestic domain. Kerber also covers other behavioral aspects which describe the problems faced by women during the war. The war created a very critical situation for women in which they found that the existing philosophy were not very helpful. Women who were individually responsible for fulfilling domestic responsibilities and religious commitments faced lots of challenges in terms of question marks on their individualism. Male society described the women's role within the periphery of the family only, they deny to legally consider women as an individual. All rules and regulations were clearly depicted the male dominating society.
Kerber describes the complex feelings of loyal wives by mentioning about the ultimate property right asked by wives of stalwart husbands. By this act women’s created individual identify for themselves and also raised a conflict upon the common belief by acting as a subordinate in capacity to their spouses.
Kerber further describes the effect of revolution on women. She mentioned that how revolution brought changes in women live and on their life style. She also described how revolution impacted women’s readings and education and in evolving “Republican Motherhood”. Kerber successfully established a link between the transformations in women’s lives and other external environmental changes like; political, social and intellectual. She also gave a thrust that understanding of history of American Revolution can be achieved without understanding the role of women’s.
After revolution America focused on bringing industrialization. In industrialization era all the old values and beliefs were vanished at that time the education of republic mother played an important role in transforming values and beliefs to her children. We can say that educated women transformed those moral values to her children and also keep help her husband in moving right direction of compassion, self-discipline and responsible citizen.
Reference
Kerber, L. K. (1997). Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press.
