US_Ch6_webquest2-women-in-early-America

=**Did women have any rights in early America?**=

Life of women in colonial and Revolutionary times wasn't like today, but at the time it was better than life for women in Europe as well as better than life for women to today's Middle East and communist nations (North Korea, China, Cuba). Life for women in early America depended more on opportunities for men and since opportunities were increasing, so was the status of women. Women had few property rights and upon the death of their husbands were only to get a lifetime use of the house and 1/3 of household goods, but in reality inherited much of the estate. In Pennsylvania, the wife got 1/3, children 1/3, and the other 1/3 went according to the man's will, which meant women could get 2/3. Studies show that most men left their wives more than the law mandated. Married women were not allowed to make contracts, but widows and unmarried women could own property. Americans invented prenuptial agreements, which would allow married women to have property rights. Just two examples include Elizabeth Murray who was a successful Boston businesswoman and Abigail Adams who had power of attorney while her husband, John, was away on political business. Scholars on inheritance law suggest a practical factor on whether or not widows received more or less of an estate, which was the marriage market. In areas where women were scarce, laws tended to favor men who might marry widows. Furthermore, concerns for children led lawmakers not wanting to see children have to rely on the government so states gave something for children that remained out of control of the widow. Married women didn't lack legal rights as colonial records show that women ran commercial establishments, owned land, and frequently represented their husbands in legal matters. Divorce was extremely difficult (majority vote of colonial legislature needed in South), but laws were much more flexible than in Europe. The difficulty of divorce and permanence of marriage (some couples just agreed to separate) led to the extraordinary emphasis on codes of behavior on premarital relations and the often overbearing participation of parents in the process of spouse selection. Girls were educated in "dame" schools, but there was little need for female education. Women found their greatest independence in churches.

There are numerous examples of women making contributions to America long before the 19th amendment. One of the problems for modern liberal feminist historians is that they try to simultaneously portray women as heroines as well as victims and try to portray the Founders as setting up a sexist society, while Progressives were the liberators. However, history proves a different story. Women in early America may not have had the rights and privileges women have today, but were much better off than women anywhere else in the world at the time. Furthermore, the women's movement would've gained better traction if the sole focus was on the suffrage (voting) issue alone, but some Progressives such as Sanger pushed birth control for eugenics purposes (though certainly not all fall into Sanger's category by a long shot) as well as pushing for easier divorce laws (which were initially strict to keep anyone from "entering into marriage too lightly." It's important though not to place 21st century present day circumstances and ideals on those of other eras.


 * 1. Did women have more rights or less rights than you originally thought before reading the above selection? Explain.**

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