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Roger Pacilan
AAS 33A
Frank/Yamato
10/15/14
Women in American History

Throughout the 1800s, American history proved itself to define separate genders. The
women of the society started to have its distinctions being conceived and reinforced, starting
with American Indian Woman, the Salem Witchcraft Trials, and Women during the American
Revolution. Pre-European America had initially started with equal gender values and
responsibilities between men and women but the patriarchal values of the Europeans began to
override the view of women whereas women stayed home and men did all the work. Men were
superior to women during these times, excluding American Indian women. Although they had a
lower status, the women during these times eventually but marginally improved their own
stature.
American Indian women or Native American women were significant of the two genders.
Many of the American Indian woman were expected to perform the basic skills of taking care of
the children and take part in farming while the men would instead go hunting and fishing. Men
thought of women as source of life so they respected women a lot more as compared to
Americans. There was a mutual respect between the two genders of American Indians resulting
in a peaceful and equal environment. The distinction of American Indian women was significant
in the sense that they were obligated to the complete the other half of effort in the community.
As men would go deal with the external factors of the community such as hunting and
outside interactions, Native American women were the foundation of the internal operations.
Women kept the community at home stable, with setting up food, taking care of the young,
gathering herbs and firewood, and many other duties. When the hunted animals were brought
back, women were in charge of prepping, in which they skinned, cut and cooked the animals.
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One of the significant tasks that women performed was the mastering of craftsmanship. Women
made the tools that the men utilized; with using animal bone, they were able to create weapons,
which were fundamental in survival. All the cloth materials, baskets, pottery were all made by
women. They also repaired clothing and shoes and made blankets and baskets.
Medicine is one the most essential component of human survival, existing in the past, in
the present, and in the future. Despite the fact that there have been men with the knowledge of
medicine, American Indian women were entrusted with being in charge of medicine. Many of
the tribes believed that women possessed more healing power than men and excelled much better
in alleviating the ill souls with the use of their chants as compared to men.
With the appearances of Europeans, the importance of American Indian Women began to
diminish as European men did not recognize women as political influence. Whenever there were
European and Indian communications, Europeans would look for the men of the tribes and
ignore women. In fact, American Indian women held important political, social, and economic
power. In the Letter from Cherokee Indian Woman to Benjamin Franklin, a Cherokee
woman advocated peace between the newly found United States and the Cherokee nation. Her
intention was to advise Benjamin Franklin that the political leaders should mind womens
opinions and perceive women motherly as they gave birth to them. This letter proved that
American Indian women assumed that their positions in their own communities empowered them
to have influence towards other nations with different womanly views.
Given that American Indian women contained more power than European women,
women during the Salem witchcraft trials were more vulnerable to wickedness as they were
powerless in many sinful cases. A lot of women were accused of practicing witchcraft which
resulted in death. One of the main reasons was that women were seen as the weaker gender.
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Women were thought as an easier target for Satan as they are the weaker gender physically,
morally and spiritually. It was easy for men to accuse women of being a witch.
Being a weaker gender, womens roles during these times revolved around the survival
of the community much like American Indian Women, such as preparing food, tending animals,
or a midwife. This resulted in women being depended upon over health and the life of others;
they were to blame if someone died or became ill. If a woman gave birth to a stillborn, she would
want to blame someone and coincidentally the midwife would be present. The midwife is easily
accused of doing something supernatural to make this happen.
While there would be conflict between women, one would accuse the other as a witch in
the sense that she hates the witch and just wants the witch dead. The accuser would then
pretend to be casted a spell upon during the trials. Many times this was the case which resulted in
innocent women served with injustice, or killed for a nonexistent reason. Men also abused the
witchcraft trials and got a lot of innocent women killed. They would often accuse women as
witches in order to get them killed legally because men did not want the lower status of
women to become equal to men
Natural selection was a thought for the accusation of many women. Majority of the
women being accused were usually around the age forty and above. It was the idea that women
over forty were no longer able to give birth so they did not have a specific purpose within the
society. Widowed women were the majority because it meant that they werent in the care of a
man. Especially if the women inherited large amounts of money, they were easily accused of
being a witch so that one could take the money.
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As for the American Revolution, it created many of the distinctions of women of
American history. While Men saw themselves more prestigious and more important than women,
women began to play a significant role in the American Revolution. Women had become spies
and soldiers without the knowledge of men or the enemy. Since men already looked down upon
women, they ignored the fact that women were even smart enough to comprehend military
complexity. Men would talk freely about plans around women which made women great spies.
This gave the benefit of the doubt towards women.
With women being seen as the weaker gender, they were unable to join the army. They
were incapable of being able to handle the physical training of men. Despite the fact that they
were unable to join, many women would often dress up as a man. With short hair, compressed
chest and false deep voice, women were able to join the army as a man. These women were
usually poor and wanted to make money for their families. What this proved was the women had
stood up for their genders to show strength. Women were indeed reinforced with their
distinctions, even though they were not known during the times.
Leading up to the 1800s of American history, demonstrates how women were perceived.
American Indian women were probably the only women of the time that their society
acknowledged their authority and influence toward the community and men. During the Salem
Witch Trials, women had no say in defending for their own lives when accused. As for the
American Revolution women, they took action in proving that their actions in society as women
was significant. Womens distinctions were being created in these events as it reinforces
themselves as important women, showing their conduct.

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Bibliography
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History.org: Womens Service in the Revolutionary Army:
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume7/nov08/women_revarmy.cfm
Indians.org: Native American Women
http://www.indians.org/articles/native-american-women.html
Karlsen, Carol. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman. Vintage Books, New York: 1989
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Lauter, Paul. Letter from Cherokee Indian Woman to Benjamin Franklin, Governor of the State of
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