Colonial women: roles, experiences, and social structures

American History: Rights and Freedoms of Women in the 1600's

In the early 1600's the British King made grants of charters were granted for settlements that were to become established colonies in the New World or America. By the 1700's 13 colonies had been established namely Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Rhode Island. The Constitution was not yet and Freedom not yet won and the rights of women varied from area to area.

This paper intends to explore what rights women possessed in the different areas of settlement in the early America as well as the difference of women's rights in other race and cultural groups in that time period. Further to understand what freedom was held by "Free Colonial Women" as well as what motivated the white and black women of that time to either declare themselves as Patriots or Loyalists.

Introduction:

In the early history of the United States women had very few, if any, rights. Men owned their wives as if they were property. Specifically, the white women of that day and time are the focus of this paper. However, in some of the colonies laws were changed and even created to grant more rights to women.

1. Similarities and Differences: Colonial Women in Chesapeake and New England Colonies of 1600's

In the Chesapeake Colony, the laws were changed by an act named the "Declaration of Rights." Religious freedom both for men and women was established by the passing of this act. This act allowed for each to hold and express personal religious beliefs. This time is known as a golden age for the Colony.

The lives of women in the New England colony was quiet different for women. Women were the possessions of their husband and lived as his subordinate and complying with the issues of his authority even after reaching maturity. Any possession of the wife became the husband's upon marriage. Divorce was unheard of and not possible.

2. Differences in Role of Women: American Indians, Hispanics, Whites and Blacks in 1600's

Within the tribe of the Indians the women had "their own place" just as did the men and it was as valued and as honored a place as that held by a man. The men hunted and the women cultivated the crops. That was the way of the Indians to do each as they were best suited and for what best suited the survival of the tribe to which they belonged. It was normal within most tribes for women to assert their individualism even to the point of lesbianism and marriage to other women or choosing the life of a hunter and warrior instead of grower and gatherer. . In certain tribes women's family was the matriarchal family that ruled and passed power of rule down through the generations. Esoteric knowledge would gain women power in any of the Indian tribes. Women that were skilled growers or gatherers also attained positions of power. Indian men were in awe and fear of women due to their perception of power in the menstrual cycle of women while men had to actively seek power.

One may assume black women in the Colonial period had lesser rights than black men. Not so, as slaves neither of them possessed any power or authority whatsoever. However, it may have been that the African-American women that intermarried with the Montauk Indians may have had rights due to the power of the Montauks. The Montauks were so wealthy that they had their own money system. Generally and overall however, the black women had no rights during the 1600's.

Amazingly, if one were a Hispanic woman during the 1600's who also had great strategic planning abilities, combined with resisting gender oppression then all rights were lost. These women were called witches due to having had the magical prowess to resist and undermine the superiority of men. Those married Hispanic women were more subservient than were white married women.

Married and single women were allowed to work, even encouraged to in some colonies. From all appearances of the research of this time period Indian women had more rights than did any others.

3. Motivations of Black and White Women for choosing Loyalist or Federalist Beliefs