Treat ment of Females in the Antibellum Period
1A. The common experience of European, African, and Native American women in colonial America was that no matter where they were in America, women were considered subordinate to men. The most intriguing part about the era was the way that captives were treated. Whether it be as slaves or as just captives, women were treated basically for the males sexual and economic favor as a means of production. It is stated in Chapter 2 of Norton and Alexander that " the 'exchange of women' through systems of captivity, adoption, and marriage seem to have provided European and Native men with mutually understood symbols of power with which to bridge cultural barriers Often times African and Native American women had no choice of who and when then had sexual relations. Many times it was there captures or masters who would force themselves upon the captive women. African women often weren't given much of a chance to be intimate with another slave because they were too busy working in the fields. Native American and European women, mainly Spanish, had their male counterparts slaughtered during raids. The treatment of Native American and Spanish women were different. They were often treated as captives and not so much as slaves, both group
So you see, that a much more physical hardship was put on the female slaves, therefore making the Revolution have an negative impact on the African and African American slave a negative one. However, such an assumption would be far from the truth. It was during this time that women showed a great support for a nation of men who treated them as subordinates. A few individuals such as Sojourner Truth have gained significant recognition. This attitude was never more evident then in Abigail Adams first letter to her husband John Adams from Braintree on March 31, 1976. Women such as Stanton, Anthony, and Truth, who are prominent in black history, made incredible strides and were often the most vocal in the pursuit of rights. It was also at this time that women demanded the attitudes of this nation be changed, after-all, America was fighting to be treated as equals, would it not be hypocritical not to practiced what they were trying to preach. It was the above-mentioned reasons that women were so attracted to the anti slavery movement, and pursued the cause with a vengeance. On the surface it would seem that white women and slaves would have very little if anything at all in common. Therefore I believe that the argument that the American Revolution had a positive impact on white women is a convincing one. The words spoken by slaves about the yearning to be free also struck a cord among women. I strongly feel that the American Revolution had a positive impact on white women. As more male slaves left the plantation that put more of the physical burden on the female slaves.
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Acceptance Essays
