"Women in the Revolution"

Mackayla Harris

    What role did women play in the American Revolution? Since I attended DAR School from kindergarten through 12th grade, the American Revolution has been ingrained in me. DAR stands for Daughters of the American Revolution. The American Revolution was between the American Colonists and the British. In 1775 a problem began when the British starting taxing American Colonists without their consent. The colonists believed they were entitled to certain fundamental rights. They wanted to be represented in Parliament. During the war almost all the men left for the army, and a lot of the women and children followed. The women and children would follow behind the soldiers as they moved from place to place. Women are not mentioned much when talking about the American Revolution. That is probably because most of them stayed behind the soldiers and out of the way. However, women did play a very important role in the American Revolution. The women were nurses, maids, wagoners, spies, and even soldiers.

    Many of the women performed daily tasks for the soldiers. Gillian Courtney states that, “their duties consisted primarily of cooking, mending, laundry, childcare, and nursing the sick.” These women were called the Women of the Army. They would almost always start out as camp followers. They would wash, cook, and do daily chores for the soldiers. Most of these women were also nurses. These women sold their services to the soldiers in return for money and occasionally half rations of food. The nursing jobs were at times very hard. The women would search the battle ground directly after the fight to look for any soldiers still alive. They also had to retrieve the dead and prepare them for burial.

    During the American Revolution the moving armies had to carry their ammunition, food, and other supplies with them wherever they went. The army hired wagoners to transport the supplies from the supply center to wherever the armies were at. The wagoners would follow along with the armies carrying the supplies in their wagons. John U. Rees from Continental Line states that, "Wagons were the most important mode of transporting those supplies armies needed to carry with them, since waterways did not always follow the direction dictated by military necessity or were under enemy control." Many of the wagoners were women. These people, men and women, were paid for their services. The wagoners were a huge part of the army. Without them the soldiers would not have been able to receive the supplies they needed.

    

    Also, there was a small amount of women who were spies during the American Revolution. The National Women's History website explains, "With their almost unrestricted access to soldiers' campsites, these women could eavesdrop on conversations about troop movements, leadership changes, and equipment shortages and deliveries without raising suspicion." Both armies used women as spies. However, they still thought women were innocent, and that they would not do any harm. The women would report the information straight to the military and civilian leaders. It was easier for a woman to transport a document through the town than it was for men. The women were not suspected of hiding any information. However, men were usually stopped and searched because of the fear of transporting information.

    Many women became soldiers during the American Revolution. At the time women were not allowed to join the army. However, the women would serve as secret soldiers. Rebecca Brooks, the author of “The Roles of Women in the Revolution” states, "These female soldiers usually disguised themselves as men by cutting their hair, binding their breasts with bandages and adopting masculine names." Many of the women joined in order to earn money for their families. Some just wanted the opportunity to fight for freedom. If the women were caught they were sent to jail. The women also risked getting made fun of for not following their traditional gender roles in society. The women during this age were not supposed to be doing men's work.

    Women played a very important role in the American Revolution, not only for the home front but also on the battle ground. The women were beginning to become more involved in war efforts. This Revolution changed how women were viewed in a time of war. Their efforts showed that they could be useful during the war in many ways.