The Rights of Women in 18th Century America Essay - 877 Words

The Rights of Women in 18th Century America On July 4, 1804, a group of young men in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, offered a series of toasts to commemorate the nations independence. Among their testimonials, they offered one to a cherished ideal:[To] the rights of men, and the rights of women-. May the former never be infringed, nor the latter curtailed. The men acknowledged, even celebrated, an innovative and controversial idea: women along with men should be regarded as the bearers of rights. But why were women denied to bear their own rights? Let the defenders of male despotism answer (if they can) the Rights of Women Just as the rights of man took on new meanings over time--meanings the American Revolutionaries had not†¦show more content†¦Discrimination against women throughout much of American history was caused by the prevalence of a masculine system of justice based on English common law (Hoff-Wilson). The development of the republican ideal as an autonomous, patriotic male citizen, proud of his maturity and independence, left women cast in the opposite role of dependent, unreliable, and weak (Kerber). The rights of humanity, Wollstonecraft asserted, have been...confined to the male line from Adam downwards,: with the result that half of the population was kept from realizing its full human potential. They found that limitations on womens liberty was too controversial so they decided women did not need liberty. Why are general rights being decided solely from a male’s prerogative? Were men so intimi dated by the thought of women possibly making an impact by voicing their own opinions and taking over their roles that they had to degrade women and not give them any other option but to remain submissive housewives forever? For a brief period this all changed. During the American Revolution, the men went off to fight in the war and in turn, the women were handed the reigns and were running the show for once...although temporarily. The women took on their husband’s difficult tasks and were inspired to know that they actually did have the capability to run a household independently, and wondered what else they were beingShow MoreRelatedEffects of the Industrial Revolution727 Words   |  3 Pagesbetween the 18th and 19th century, profoundly affected the people of Europe, North America, and other regions of the world. The revolution produced new exciting technological innovations. As a result, the socioeconomic climate and cultural aspects of Europe and North America were altered in an unprecedented manner. Industrial opportunities also lured the population away from agrarian lifestyles to more urban populaces. The Industrial Revolution extensively changed daily life of the 18th and 19th centuryRe ad MoreThe History of Slavery in the Americas732 Words   |  3 Pageshad experience of agriculture and keeping cattle. They were used to a tropical climate and hot climates. They were also failure with tropical diseases, and they could work very hard on plantations and in mines. In the early 17th century, European settlers in North America turned to African slaves as an inexpensive, harder labored source, much better than indentured servants (who were mostly poor Europeans). In 1619, a Dutch ship brought 20 African Americans to the British colonies of Jamestown, VirginiaRead MoreEssay on Charlotte Temple - Ideas of Love1378 Words   |  6 PagesCharlotte Temple - Ideas of Love In the 18th century, when Charlotte Temple was written, society’s ideas about women, love, and obligations were extremely different from views held in the 20th century. 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However, it was only an intention to be socially equal, but not a goal. Social equality or the fact that all men were created equal only applied to the white man. There was no intention in meaning that the blacks and Indians or even the women were equal. In the eyes of the delegates, and the common white majority, blacks, indians, and women were not an issue. To them, it was apparent that blacks were kids, Indians were savages, and women were homemakersRead MoreWomen s Right Birth Control1633 Words   |  7 Pages Women’s Right-Birth Control For many decades women have faced the issue of birth control along and women rights. Not being able to have a voice in matters that concern their personal life as well as their health, women were subjected to doing what society thought was morally appropriate like getting married and having children while giving up their right to receive an education or go to work. Women who were not ready to have children at that time relied on birth control which is a contraceptiveRead MoreWomens Roles of the 18th Century1073 Words   |  5 PagesWomen’s Roles in the 18th Century Holly Thompson Professor Cheri Reiser Humanity 112 8/25/2012 During the 18th century, women were treated like slaves. They had little authority regarding anything. Women didn’t have the right to vote or the right to own property. Only a spinster or widow woman could own and manage property until they married. Women were owned by the husband just as he owned material possessions. Many women were trapped in lovelessRead MoreLetters from an American Farmer Essay1211 Words   |  5 PagesWe Are America America — a land known for its ideals of freedom and new opportunities, a nation built under the idea that every man and women is created equal. However, the definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seemsRead MoreNew Orleans And The Child1269 Words   |  6 Pagestrans-Atlantic slave trade. Slaves were imported from West Africa, as well as India and then tasked with working in the robust cotton farms that characterized New Orleans at the time (Blassingame 5). Women slaves were mostly assigned to households where they worked as house helps, as well as babysitters. To this end, women developed close ties with most of their slave owners. In the image, New Orleans woman and the child she held in slavery, it is apparent that the girl worked for the woman and there was aRead MoreThe United States And The Reconstruction Era981 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States of America faced great tensions throughout the 18th century because of the division on the issue of slavery, this was reflected through the way that African Americans were treated up until the Reconstruction. In the early 18th century if one was from African ancestry, they were condemned as inferior in the eyes of the white man. This would continue for over a century and a half into the Reconstruction Era in 1865. On the other hand, there was an abolitionist movement led by both