Essay Sample about American Revolution

At a time when the British expected the Americans to surrender upon their motherland’s firm demand, they received social unrest and a unified response to taxation without representation. This encouraged anger to spread among the Americans and helped inflame the commencement of the Revolutionary War in 1775, allowing women to play critical roles in the revolt. Even though the American Revolution caused division between the British and the Thirteen Colonies, families remained united in the Thirteen Colonies because the war mandated a redistribution of responsibilities among all members of the family.

The American Revolution redefined American family forms and practices, as the war demanded the male population to fight for the underrepresented colonies. This monumental event left the women in the family to assume the paternal responsibilities, thus giving them more authority over the family. Their husbands often keep women under strict control. The conflict promoted an increased acceptance of women's roles in wartime than in peacetime. During the war, they forced farmers in the lowest echelons of civilian life to leave their working farms. The urgency of the need to fill in male duties forced women to live at home and support their expanded role in the country. Asserting that women were the traditional social structure, they sought to overthrow it.

While the men embarked on their journey to combat the tyranny, women quickly filled in the roles they left. Among the tactics they utilized were boycotting British goods, spying on the British, following armies on their marches, washing, cooking, and mending for soldiers, relaying secret messages, and even fighting disguised as men sometimes, such as Deborah Sampson. Mercy Otis Warren held meetings in her house and cleverly attacked Loyalists with her creative plays and histories. Nurses and other helpers also helped the soldiers, tending to their wounds and buying and selling goods. Some camp followers even took part in combat, such as Madam John Turchin, who led her husband's regiment into battle. Above all, women continued agricultural work at home to feed their families and the army. In the absence of their husbands, and sometimes after their deaths, they maintained their families.

Because the boycotted items were mostly household items such as tea and cloth, American women played a significant role in the boycott's success. Rather than buying apparel imported from the British market, women rediscovered the art of knitting and spinning their own items of clothing. For instance, a group of around 180 women in Middletown, Massachusetts, weaved 20,522 yards (18.77 kilometers) of cloth. While the war raged, many women collected food, money, clothes, and other supplies to support the troops.

Although the American Revolution caused divisions between the British and the Thirteen Colonies, families remained together as a result of the increasing burdens the war placed on all the family members. The unseen benefit of the bloody war allowed women to take responsibility for the household, while they also participated in the domestic boycott of British goods. The family unit was redefined as an economic unit rather than a moral one.