Helpful Score: 1
"Even in their dresses, the females seem to bid us defiance... an officer told Lord Cornwallis... that if he believed that he had destroyed all the men in North America, we should have enough to do to conquer the women." These were the words of a British soldier, contained in a letter to relatives.
This very important volume describes the efforts of some of the most well-known female patriots, such as Betsy Ross, but also lesser-known ones that few outside the areas where they lived (and some have monuments) are familiar with: all of whom played their part in the contest for liberty. The diversity is also somewhat surprising: some women were wealthy, upper-class matrons, while others were from the lower classes, and, in one case described here, one was even a slave who saved the life of her master by carrying him from prison concealed in a basket of laundry on her hip! Young, old, rich, poor, slave and free: women throughout the colonies did what they could to contribute to the founding of our nation. They raised money, sewed clothing and gathered other vital necessities, nursed the injured and infirm, carried messages, acted as spies, at great risk to their lives, and, in some cases, even fought alongside the men on the battlefield, earning themselves a military pension at the conclusion of the war. Many also made the ultimate sacrifice for what they believed in.
Despite the diversity represented, each of the women described within is certainly deserving of a book of their own. Unfortunately, this would prove difficult, as little is known about some of them. The author states that she contemplated the inclusion of many more, and that it was indeed difficult to choose from among the numerous women who played a critical role in the success of the Revolutionary War and the founding of a new nation, but in the end chose the ones about whom the most was known. Of course, untold thousands whose names are lost to histories have similar stories, which will regrettably never be known.
I think the most valuable aspect of this book is that it overturns some common stereotypes about women in the early modern era: the book serves as an acknowledgement that women of this period were not just invisible helpers who remained essentially behind closed doors, cloistered in their kitchens and parlors cooking, sewing and raising the children, as is often supposed. Colonial women, unlike their British counterparts, who couldn't own their own property until the late nineteenth century, often ran successful enterprises of their own, including businesses and sometimes even large estates. Many were also very politically active, even if informally. They routinely discussed politics with their husbands and male relatives and associates, wrote letters and pamphlets, if sometimes under an assumed name, and, as the book notes, took a far more active role in the Revolution than is often supposed.
This volume is definitely geared toward younger, and less knowledgeable readers than some of the older volumes published in the 1950s, but it serves as a very good introduction. As it's one of the newer editions, it has photos of many documents, paintings, drawings and other artifacts which pertain to the women described in the text. It also features a bibliography for further reading on some of these fascinating figures, each of whom played a critical and instrumental role in the founding of our nation.
This very important volume describes the efforts of some of the most well-known female patriots, such as Betsy Ross, but also lesser-known ones that few outside the areas where they lived (and some have monuments) are familiar with: all of whom played their part in the contest for liberty. The diversity is also somewhat surprising: some women were wealthy, upper-class matrons, while others were from the lower classes, and, in one case described here, one was even a slave who saved the life of her master by carrying him from prison concealed in a basket of laundry on her hip! Young, old, rich, poor, slave and free: women throughout the colonies did what they could to contribute to the founding of our nation. They raised money, sewed clothing and gathered other vital necessities, nursed the injured and infirm, carried messages, acted as spies, at great risk to their lives, and, in some cases, even fought alongside the men on the battlefield, earning themselves a military pension at the conclusion of the war. Many also made the ultimate sacrifice for what they believed in.
Despite the diversity represented, each of the women described within is certainly deserving of a book of their own. Unfortunately, this would prove difficult, as little is known about some of them. The author states that she contemplated the inclusion of many more, and that it was indeed difficult to choose from among the numerous women who played a critical role in the success of the Revolutionary War and the founding of a new nation, but in the end chose the ones about whom the most was known. Of course, untold thousands whose names are lost to histories have similar stories, which will regrettably never be known.
I think the most valuable aspect of this book is that it overturns some common stereotypes about women in the early modern era: the book serves as an acknowledgement that women of this period were not just invisible helpers who remained essentially behind closed doors, cloistered in their kitchens and parlors cooking, sewing and raising the children, as is often supposed. Colonial women, unlike their British counterparts, who couldn't own their own property until the late nineteenth century, often ran successful enterprises of their own, including businesses and sometimes even large estates. Many were also very politically active, even if informally. They routinely discussed politics with their husbands and male relatives and associates, wrote letters and pamphlets, if sometimes under an assumed name, and, as the book notes, took a far more active role in the Revolution than is often supposed.
This volume is definitely geared toward younger, and less knowledgeable readers than some of the older volumes published in the 1950s, but it serves as a very good introduction. As it's one of the newer editions, it has photos of many documents, paintings, drawings and other artifacts which pertain to the women described in the text. It also features a bibliography for further reading on some of these fascinating figures, each of whom played a critical and instrumental role in the founding of our nation.
