AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Impact of Independence on Women (Day 56/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Impact of Independence on Women in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Colonial Women, History.com

While the majority of Black women experienced the worst conditions due to enslavement, White women also had limited to no legal rights and were relegated to domestic roles.

Nancy Hart, a Heroine of the Revolution, Library of Congress

During the war, women had participated to a greater degree in politics and economic life through protests and boycotts. Additionally, they had maintained households and businesses while men fought and some were dissatisfied with returning to the domestic sphere after independence.

A Dame’s School, Wikimedia Commons

After the war, the ideal of “republican motherhood” gained popularity. It called on women to teach republican values within the family and resulted in new educational opportunities for girls.

Abigail Adams, Wikimedia Commons

Abigail Adams appealed to her husband unsuccessfully to provide more rights to women in the new government. However, there were some improvements in the rights to control property and a liberalization of divorce laws and custody rights.

Many American women hoped the war would bring a greater degree of equality. However, the ideal of Republican Motherhood both further engrained their supportive role and provided new educational opportunities.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the International Impact of the American Revolution in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!