Sammy Dawson

Mr. Herrmann and Mr. Rutherford

AP US History
18 November 2015
Women of the Civil War
Before the Civil War, women held up the lifestyles that had been brought over from
Europe and centuries of tradition. The moment they said I do, they belonged to their
husbands, including any and all material possessions they may have had. The husband could
do what he pleased with her, or anything she brought to the marriage. In return, she was in
charge of the house, raising the children and being a good spouse for her significant other. Their
rights were scarce, if there at all, with no voting, owning businesses, control finances, selling
property or suing anyone. Female rights were not distinctive of their husbands during this time.
Although there were some who took part in the beginning of a small womens movement, the
majority of American women continued to stay under their husbands, and societys control.
Things changed in the Civil War though, when the men went off to fight a war that took
many lives. Women could no longer stay in the house, watching the children; things had to be
done. Women in the North began to work at factories, turning out supplies that soldiers needed
in the war. In the South women took over the management of their husbands farms and
businesses. Over four hundred women disguised themselves as men to fight at the front lines.
Still others became spies, hidden by the century old ideas of women being meek and not able to
be trained in military or special ops. One of the biggest roles of women in the war was being a
nurse, the American Red Cross being founded by Clara Barton, a women who would be
remembered long after the war was over. For the first time in American history, it was womens
time to step up when the country was tearing apart at the seams. Together, they kept the world
back home turning, making sure that their men would be able to fight another day and have
something to come home to. It must have been an exciting time for women to live in.
As the war ended and the men came home, many women slipped back into their original
position of caretaker and homemaker. But the Civil War had put an idea into the hearts and
minds of many American women. The war had been a chance to show female empowerment
that would give new life and energy to the womens rights movement. This was a time period
that truly set a fire under the women of the country to be more than what society had always told
them to be, unwilling to go back to their old roles before the war. Some women began to make
their own money, manage their own finances and be independent. This would lead to the
Womens Suffrage Movement and famous women such as Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone
that would change the path of womens lives in the United States. This moment in time, this one
generation, would start a chain reaction that would lead to womens standings in the world
today. Recognition for women and the realization that they were more than just objects to be
admired created a spirit of independence that latched on and didnt let go. This was the
beginning of the end of the oppression of women in the United States.

Works Consulted
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/women-in-the-civil-war
http://library.mtsu.edu/tps/Women_and_the_Civil_War.pdf
http://americancivilwar.com/women/cb.html
http://civilwarwomenblog.com/womens-rights-after-the-civil-war/
http://civilwarwomenblog.com/womens-rights-before-the-civil-war/