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Essay on the role of women during the revolutionary war
Essay on the role of women during the revolutionary war
Women soldiers in revolutionary war
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Roles People Played During the Revolutionary War
Women were often referred to as "camp followers" and provided much of the nursing care, cooking help, the soldiers washing and some helped load artillery. Women looked after their loved ones, and kept family matters systematic, as well. A few were prostitutes, some officers' wives or mistresses, however the majority were married to ordinary soldiers.
Deborah Champion was a beautiful spy who took information to George Washington for three years during the American Revolution. Deborah Sampson felt that it was not impartial that men were only drafted into war. She was a "gender bender" and joined battle for three years. She was identified the first time after drinking with the other soldiers. Deborah was then thrown out. She disguised herself again, and went under another name. This time she was injured in the war, and during her recovery a doctor made her promise to leave after she recuperated.
Children were often paid no mind during this time. They too would act as spies by hiding in small spaces were they could not be seen. Men of power often spoke around children too, because they weren't aware of their insight or ability to repeat things back to others.
Men were superior in this time and looked down upon the women and children. George Washington, our first President was a significant general during the war. He had a straight forward character, and had that extra notability. Washington prevailed on Congress to adopt stricter regulations and to require enlistment's for three years or for the duration of the war. H wanted a disciplined force that could defeat the British in the large engagements of massed troops characteristic of eighteenth-century. Many soldiers and idealists offered their services to American representatives. They helped Washington fabricate a trained army. Military life was tough for the soldiers. They would carry heavy packs covering about fifteen miles a day and in all weather conditions. They were often wet, crawling with lice and hungry.
We have had to deal with, “poor food- hard lodging- cold weather- fatigue, “(Document B). In this diary by Dr Waldo, a doctor we have at camp, he has accurately described what life is like at camp. The factors that we undergo make us sick both physically and mentally, these factors make us lose all sense of empowerment to win this war that we once felt, these factors make us want to go home more than anything just to hear our mother’s voice just once more. The absence of encouragement from other colonists and countries, and how I have to go to bed with my stomach empty every single night pushes me over the edge to give up and just
George Washington was selected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army because of his courage and bravery, his ability to motivate and command respect from his followers, and his strategic ability in battle. His reputation as a daring and successful leader inspired confidence and loyalty in his followers. If it weren't for George Washington, it would be a different America today. Washington's military experience started when he was selected by Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, to travel to the Ohio Valley to tell the French to leave. He was only twenty-two years old, inexperienced, and naive.
It was a good year for a revolution, 1776. But it didn't start off quite as well as the colonists would have liked. When George Washington agreed to take command of the American forces in 1775, he probably didn't realize what he was truly getting himself into. Washington took command of an army made up of old men and young boys that had either come from their farms or the street. The army was short on weapons and gunpowder, lacked uniforms, and was racked by disease and drunkenness. Washington understood that what lies ahead would be difficult, considering he would be facing the most powerful country in world. But he probably didn't expect his worst problems to come from his own army, which was an undisciplined and untrained group that would eventually tamper with his great patience. Through it all he would stay determined and always try to stay one step ahead of the enemy.
The day to day life for the regular soldier was not glorious. Many times the regiments were low on supplies such as food and clothing. They lived in the elements. Medical conditions were grotesque because of the lack of advanced equipment and anesthesia. “Discipline was enforced with brutality” as if all the other conditions were not bad enough.
Soldiers faced diseases like measles, small pox, malaria, pneumonia, camp itch, mumps, typhoid and dysentery. However, diarrhea killed more soldiers than any other illness. There were many reasons that diseases were so common for the causes of death for soldiers. Reasons include the fact that there were poor physicals before entering the army, ignorance of medical information, lack of camp hygiene, insects that carried disease, lack of clothing and shoes, troops were crowded and in close quarters and inadequate food and water.
The Confederate soldiers had a tough time living together for years with barely any food, bathing as a rarity and carrying around 40 pounds a day wherever you went.
In this example, after many hours of carrying these supplies the soldiers would start to break down physically. Fatigue and muscle pain would start to cloud their vision and judgment. The weight of the things that they carried had devastating effects on their bodies but the soldiers had to endure. All of these supplies were the most significant to the soldiers because they were the most impor...
They were drinking coffee instead. The Daughters of Liberty also had spinning bees to make homespun clothing, and only wore homespun clothing, which was a political statement at the time. In the years of war, most women had to assume the care of the farms and businesses while their men went to war. These women were the ones to organize care for widows and orphans, in addition to organizing protests against some merchants held back hard to find items. The Daughters of the revolution also collected money, medications, pewter for bullets, and food for the army. The women who became the cooks, laundresses, and nurses for the army were camp followers. They were the poor wives, mothers, and children that followed the army around, doing jobs for half rations. George Washington recruited the women into service, even though these were
“And I hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others (appertaining to Rebels) free, that are able and willing to bear arms, the joining of His Majesty's Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing the Colony to a proper sense of their duty, to this Majesty's crown and dignity.”
These were the women who posed as men, so they could fight in the war, however this was not taken lightly. Berkin states that “women whose sex was discovered quickly were more likely to be punished severely, while women who saw combat before their sex was revealed sometimes drew praise”(60). For example, Margaret Corbin’s behavior was seen as nontraditional back then. Her husband was apart of the army and Margaret wanted to be by his side. She dressed in men’s clothing and at the heat of the moments stepped in for him when he got injured. Women were meant to stay at the house to cook or clean, not to fight in wars. Now, thanks to women like Margaret Corbin, women are fighting in wars overseas and allowed to be apart of the military or army without punishment. Women now have the right to be apart of any profession they choose and even have the same roles and responsibilities as
The women during the war felt an obligation to assist in one form or another. Many stayed at home to watch over the children, while others felt a more direct or indirect approach was necessary. Amongst the most common path women took to support the war, many "served as clerks...filled the ammunition cartridges and artillery shells with powder at armories, laboring at this dangerous and exacting task for low wages. Both sides utilized women in these capacities (Volo 170)." Women that stayed away from battlefields supported their respected armies by taking the jobs that men left behind. They were the grease in the gears of war, the individuals working behind the scenes so that the men would be prepared, ready to fight with functioning weapons and operational gear.
While women may not have fought in the war, they were still exposed to the brutality of the war. “Women knew the presence of military always meant the possibility of rape or physical humiliation” (Berkin, 2005, 39). “Loneliness, poverty, fear of starvation and the possibility of rape and death at the hands of hostile invading troops” (Berkin, 2005, 52). Most of the women that made this choice were from lower rings of society. These women followed behind soldiers carrying baskets on their backs filled with supplies and carried children in their arms. Even in the cool air they
Although their physical loads did not weigh the soldiers down, they definitely became their necessities. Certain physical burdens became items that helped them escape from the reality of being at war. Even though these men had things they had to carry, they elected to carry more. The items they carried were intended to illustrate aspects of their personality. All of them carried great loads of memories, fears, and desires. These abstract objects were an essential part of them and therefore could not be put down. They continued to carry these emotional burdens along with them throughout the war. And as Lieutenant Jimmy Cross came to realize, “It was very sad…the things men carried inside. The things men did or felt they had to
During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien's The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not possible for any soldier to carry many items or burdens with them, but if something was a necessity, a way was found to carry it, and coping mechanisms were a necessity to survive the war.
The American Tactics of the Revolutionary War Biography and Footnotes _________ Research Critical Analysis   Historical Interpretation _________________ Technical   Content Originality   Style of writing &nbs Prove thesis &nb Eric Heppen &nb December 13, 1999 &nbs The American Tactics of the Revolutionary War Most of Europe thought that the British, with their immense amount of capital, soldiers and supplies, would beat the American resistance in the American revolutionary war without much of an effort. However, the Patriots realized, from their earliest difficulties, to capitalize on the enemy’s weaknesses. Guerrilla warfare and a strategy that emanated from the ability to manipulate events to their own benefit enabled the Americans to defeat the ostensibly more powerful British.... ... middle of paper ... ...