Table of Contents

1.Introduction

2.Women at War

3.Women at Home

4.Important Women

5.Conclusion

6.Glossary

7.Bibliography

Introduction

Imagine if you lived in the American Revolution and wanted to enlist  to fight for your own country, but you could not.  Because if you lived in this time period you could not enlist at all or even have the opportunity to.  Because women were not allowed to, on the other hand,men could. You would feel just as bad as these women did, devastated.  You would be very upset, and would know you would have to do the same chores over and over again. Every day, from dawn to dusk.  So these women deserve more respect so let's get this little lesson started!

Women at War

Many women did not like to stay at home.  Camp followers would follow the Continental Army and stay in the camp.  Many women also worked as nurses for the Continental Army. They would treat the sick and were open to many illnesses such as smallpox. This was a very dangerous job.  Both the camp followers and nurses had very tough jobs, many camp followers had to make clothes for the Continental Army men. Many men did not think that  the women deserved to stay at the camp. But the women stayed put, they did not want to go home.

They thought it was unfair because the men had the opportunity to enlist  for the Continental Army, and lots of them were only 16 when they enlisted. The women could not enlist at such a young age. They could not enlist at all.  They did not want to have to do the same jobs every day.

Many women also worked home for the army and reported them.  Many women were spies and listened to the British carefully and explained the plans to the Americans, which made these women powerful spies.  For example, Lydia Darragh, a Patriot woman, let British into her home and heard their plans to bomb Washington and the Continental Army, and explained it all to a American soldier who reported to Washington. Lots of women also disguised themselves as men so they could fight in the Continental Army and to fight in the war.

Deborah Sampson a very brave woman out of a very few women who enlisted for the Continental Army, and was caught once, moved somewhere else,and enlisted there, and got into the Continental Army then.  During one very tough battle, she was shot twice, one in the shoulder, one in the thigh. She was treated in the shoulder, then snuck out of the field hospital, pulling out the bullet from her thigh, it never fully healed, and left her with a disabled leg.  Shortly after she got a sickness and was discovered by the doctor, who kept her secret, but then told the Continental Army that she was a woman who had enlisted for the Continental Army, and Debrah was never allowed to fight in the Army, after serving and fighting a great 18 months without being caught once.

Many women did not go to war. They stayed home and tended to the farm and business while the men were off at war.  Daily life at home was filled with the day to day chores such as preparing the meals,mending clothes, making baskets, doing the laundry, preserving food for winter, tending to livestock, and lastly, making candles.  All this work tired women out. They worked from dawn to dusk, doing the original chores. These chores were part of the women's lifestyle. It was how they lived their lives ever since they were born as Quaker girls in the colonies.

Women at Home

When the women woke up the next morning, they would get right to work before the children got up and needed to be cared for, and got some of the daily chores done even before the sun came up. Then cared for the kids, and did the rest of the chores that took place even some other ones that happen normally, like cooking the food for the family and making wool coats for the Continental Army. Work got extra hard when the kids came home from school, and the boys did some of the work their fathers had done before they went off to fight in the war.  But with children who were very young and complained, that made more work for women adding to the usual daily chores. This work made life for women very difficult. Women went to bed feeling very tired, but knew that they would have to do the same chores the next morning including caring for children who made life even more difficult because they had to run the business and the farm. 

When the women woke up the next morning, they would get right to work before the children got up and needed to be cared for, and got some of the daily chores done even before the sun came up.  Then cared for the kids, and did the rest of the chores that took place even some other ones that happen normally, like cooking the food for the family and making wool coats for the Continental Army.

Important Women

There were many important women during the American Revolution, and they all made a change to history.  But today I am going to tell you about 3 women in particular,and their names are,Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Molly Pitcher and last but not least, Sybil LudingtonSybil Ludington is basically the female version of Paul Revere, and went on the same ride to warn the minutemen and the militia that the British were coming so that they were ready to fight the british at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.  After her famous ride there was a statue made of her on her ride in Carmel,New York of her on her famous ride.