The civil war was a great war in the history of the
United States, and women played a great role in it. Most of the women in the
country had their husbands leave to join the war, and for most, this was a very
hard situation. Men were breadwinners and especially in the south where they
were the ones responsible for food production running businesses, and other
occupation. At the time of the war, women were known for their household duties
only. The war and the absence of women at homes left great responsibilities to
women to handle. It was a time in history whereby women also had no power as
far as political aspects of society were concerned and therefore, did not have
any influence in war. The impacts of the war on women vary greatly depending on
race and social status. For example, elite white women, especially from the
south, inherited great responsibilities associated with the need to take care
of the plantations left behind by their husbands. The south was associated with
the wealthiest people in the country, and during the war, the women were the
ones left to look after the businesses. Women also played the roles of nurses
during the war where they looked after the injured and other casualties of war.
They also had great influence in encouraging young men to join the war. Poor
white women, on the other hand, had it a little bit harder because of having
access to little wealth and during the war food shortage went on the rise
because women had little experience in farming. However, they also play great
roles in supporting their husbands during the war the same as the rest of the
women. As African American women, the war gave them great opportunities to
escape to the north (Dwyer, 2015).
The civil war was a very significant war because it
was a war based on aspects that threatened the livelihoods and future of many.
It was one of the most devastating wars in the history of the United States,
and not having the war would have made the country split in half and slavery
would have still been in existence. Women had taken part in it, and in some
instances, women tried to disguise themselves as men so that they could join
the fighting. Others took the responsibilities of working as spies for their
different sides as ways to gather information about the enemy strategies.
Others play the crucial role of being nurses where they would tend to the
wounded during the war, and the majority as explained d above remained at home
and took over businesses and food production (Dwyer,
2015).
The war was responsible for many and women were the
ones with the greatest losses because they the people who died were their
husbands, the sons, their brothers and other friends and family. Some of the
women disguised themselves sneaked into the war to fight, but some of them did
not have to. For example there those daughters of the men in the regiment.
These are some of the women who had the chance to take part in quasi-aspects of
the war where they helped their regiment relatives. However, the role of
nursing is the biggest role that was associated with women during the civil war
for which they provided a lot of efforts.
It was a very difficult contribution because of the grisly aspects of
the war, but the women offered their capacities to the best to help the wounded
and ill during the war (Marshall, 2007, p.214).
Women were always known for their domestic duties,
and after the war, they returned to their usual way of life, the war had seen
them take responsibilities that had never ben witnessed before such as handling
businesses. It was during this period of time that many started to see the
great potential in women and thus began the slow changes in the gender roles of
women in the American society. The end of the war became the beginning of the
fight for women’s right that started to take shape and become influential in
the United States. Before the war women played a great role in the fight for
the abolition of slavery and after the war, such movements began to develop
with a mandate to fight for the rights of women in society. The war had showed
the world the capabilities of women where they could take part in
responsibilities that most men did and this a factor that greatly encouraged
women to fight for their place in society (Giesberg,
2012, p.10).
It began with the development of the women suffrage
movement that saw its beginnings at the Seneca fall convention which took place
in the year 1848. This was just soon
after the war, and it gathers a lot of following. Women had limited rights I
society, and for example, they had no right to vote. At the time the 15th
amendment of the constitution provided for the rights to vote for citizens but
was ambiguous and did not provide for women’s voting right. Women, especially
in the suffrage movement, wanted the amendment to the constitution whereby it
would provide voting rights for women and other forms of equality (Mcdonnell, 2004, p.195).
Most of the agendas of the suffrage movement
incorporated great aspects of the abolition of slavery, and they greatly made
efforts to stop it, however, their support for abolition was a great as their
support for the rights of women and they did not support the passing of the
15th amendment unless a provision was developed that would specify equality for
women as well (Giesberg, 2012, p.9).
Despite these efforts by women, the end of the civil war affected many women in
the United States. African American women faced the end with hopes of freedom
promised by the 15th amendment of the constitution. However, the situation was
completely different because the end of slavery brought about the rise of
slavery. Many whites of the south were angered with the outcome of the war
whereby they had lost their most important source of livelihood which was
slavery. Most of the women during this time took part in wage labor as a source
of livelihood. The situation was new to many African Americans because they
were never used to the freedom given to them and at first it was very tough
because they now had to make a living on their own and had to work for money.
The end of the war, therefore, saw a lot of changes
in the American society. The abolitionist movements won by having slavery end.
Women, on the other hand, developed a chance to show their efforts in the
society and the end of the war provided them with newer opportunities other
than household duties. The suffrage movement enlightened many women to take
part in their own fight for equality (Mcdonnell,
2004, p.196).
Works Cited
Dwyer, Maddie. The
Changing Role of Southern Women During the Civil War. 2015. <https://ctlsites.uga.edu/hist2111-wolf2015/2015/11/30/the-changing-role-of-southern-women-during-the-civil-war/>.
Giesberg, Judith.
"Northern Women." The Journal of the Civil War Era (2012).
MacLean, Maggie.
"Black Women After the Civil War." Civil War Women (2016).
http://www.civilwarwomenblog.com/black-women-after-the-civil-war/.
Marshall, Anne.
"The Essence of Liberty: Free Black Women during the Slave Era, and:
Women on the Civil War Battle Front (review)." Civil War History
(2007).
Mcdonnell,
Lawrence. "Neither Lady Nor Slave: Working Women of the Old South
(review)." Civil War History (2004).
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