The “Golden Age”
February 6, 2012

The colonial era was thought by many to be the “Golden Age” for American women. This was a time where women had little, if any, rights other than their husband’s, but the work that these women did was considered of great economic importance. Women were considered of great importance when it came to certain tasks that needed to be done, and are, in many instances, recognized for their hard work and dedication to keeping a household afloat, keeping the men happy, and doing their part behind the scene in politics. It is argued that women’s status was valuable during this period, because of their work in the household economy. Then again, a woman was still not considered equal to that of a man, regardless of how important her role was. Women were in charge of taking care of the household economy. Household economy would include everyone that was in the home, children, borders, servants, slaves, etc. Most of the time a wife would be the one taking care of the household economy, but in some instances men would have to hire help in the event that he was not married. Therefore, a wife was extremely important. She would keep a vegetable garden and chickens, she would make the soap and candles, the food, the bedding, keep the house clean, make and mend clothing, start the fire and keep it going so there was warmth and light, and bring in extra money by selling things. She would also produce the children and take care of them. They were not all equal members but their work was valued. It was understood that the work a woman provided in a home was valuable, and although a woman’s work differed from that of a man, they were of equal value (Early American Women, slide 10). The women’s economy had to do with more than just household chores. Women would barter, trade, and apprentice their daughters. Midwives were an important part of apprenticing their daughters. A midwife was going to be the only medical practitioner available and they were normally highly respected. A Midwife was normally paid in goods rather than cash, but it was still a profession that most women wanted their daughters to pick up. Also women would sometimes act as deputy husbands when their husbands were away. This allowed her to do things in her husbands place while they were gone. Usually this would have to be something that was declared. The danger with dealing with a deputy husband though was, that the husband could undo any contract or agreement made by the wife once he returned. Women were given many responsibilities and put at high standards, but they were still not considered equal to that of a man (Early American Women, slide 16). Women also played a huge role in politics. One way that women contributed to politics was making sure that boycotts were followed out. Women were purchasing everything that they could in stores and in the market in the urban areas, but when boycotts would come about women would have to go back to the old way of doing things. They would start to weave their own cloth again and certain tasks like that. The men were the ones who brought the money in the home, but the women were the ones who went out and spent it. This became very hard for women and many times their cupboards were bare and the necessary tools to do work were no longer available. Therefore, in order for boycotts to work it was entirely up to the woman (Revolutionary and Republican Women, slide 4). Also, women played a part in the war efforts. Some women actually fought in the war, but most women fought the battle at home. There were camp followers that acted as prostitutes. These women provided a very “important” service to the soldiers and that was a way to contribute to the war. Then there were women that followed their husbands to war, because they would be left homeless if they did not. Some women would do the laundry, cooking, etc. at the camps that their husbands were posted at, and some got paid for their work. While