Episode 28: Revolutionary Women

As the war branched out away from Boston and New York, several fronts—and several major battles—were being fought simultaneously. Meanwhile, there were several cultural dynamics at play away from the battlefield. This is the first episode where I try to address both. I start with major battles to ensure there is continuity throughout the season, then transition to the impacts away from the front.

When telling the story of a war, the battles, troop movements, and diplomacy often supersede the impacts at home. For much of history, it was women who faced the full effects of the war away from the front. This episode covers the women who were pivotal in the success of the Revolution from their homes—and on the battlefield.

Prior to the Revolution, strict hierarchies on the basis of sex abounded in the colonies. Women were subordinate to their husbands and bound to the confines of the home. There were exceptions to this, but they only proved the rule. Furthermore, any women who tried to act outside their station were often shunned and looked down upon.

As pressure from the colonies on the empire ramped up in the 1760s, women began to join in on the fight, though still in a limited fashion. But once war broke out, the chaos throughout the colonies brought the war to the women’s doorsteps and forced them to adapt, flee, or join a cause. This disruption gave women a larger role and often a voice, though it was not a simple advancement.

My AP notes cover this era, though only in the broadest sense, so there are many missing pages that need to be filled…

Join me on my journey through American history. Help fill in those missing pages.

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Moon Mother - Richard Farrell

Sources

Liberty’s Daughters — Mary Beth Norton

Revolutionary Mothers — Carol Berkin