FDR vs. Hoover
Was the Colonial Period a ?Golden Age? for Women in America? In general when one hears the words ?colony? and ?women? in the same sentence, one conjures up an image of a lowly, meek she-slave silently churning butter in the corner. Quite contrary to popular belief, it appears that women in colonial America did possess somewhat of a more important status than did their English contemporaries back home. However, anothre aopinion may argue that women, no matter race, were bound to their domestic lives of arduous, fatiguing work. Although I understand the first argument, I correspond better with the idea that the colonial period indeed was a time of independence and free will for women in America. The first opinion unflinchingly argues that sixteenth and seventeenth century, colonial women of various races all shared the same secondary, subservient positions in which they were confined to household duties, secluded from the company of other women, and denied any real opportunities of education or a voice in politics. Back then a woman?s sole concerns were food preservation and cloth production, aside from cooking, cleaning, and washing. The more affluent women with servants didn?t have to engage in such grueling labor, but the
Yet again women wield power, even in face of legal issues. Once a woman completed her term of service, she became a planter?s wife; women had a substantial amount of freedom when it came to husbandry because men were abounding and there weren?t any restricting fathers or brothers to scare off suitors. For this reason, I found the second debating side's argument persuasive and I agree that colonial women of America relished their important status and treasured their social liberty. To sum up, then, colonial women enjoyed a golden age in which they were able to let their voices be heard and still receive the respect and recognition they so deserved. Their labor ranged from being a cook or a maid to working in both field and house. In short, the meager picture of a woman churning butter quietly with here eyes cast on the floor dully dissolved immediately after the Mayflower hit Plymouth Rock; such was a picture from the old country, a fragment of the past gone with the wind. Men also appointed overseers for to watch over their families, making sure they weren?t abused. Countless wills of husbands disclosed the love and concern they had for their wives; in the 1660s, almost a fifth of men with children left all their property to their wives. All in all, then, Professor Norton questions how one could ever call this dullness colonial woman knew as life a Golden Age. I found it equally gratifying to se that colonial women had a hand in the legal system and were able to voice their opinions freely. Also, women were marrying at later ages (at their own discretion), instead of in their teen years. So, women were greatly respected in the politics of family life. Over the years, statistics pointed to the fact that men greatly outnumbered women. This method, known as oral culture, wasn?t very effective for women, so they ended up having to rely on their husbands for news.
Common topics in this essay:
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Women America,
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Plymouth Rock,
Professor Norton,
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church attendance,
churning butter,
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Acceptance Essays
