Notes

Women made many significant contributions throughout the American Revolution, despite the vast majority of credit being given to the men who impacted the Revolutionary War. As our textbook says, some of the most well known contributions made by women throughout the American Revolution were rooted in resistance to British rule, such as boycotting British goods and products. Women participated in boycotting any British made threads or raw materials, as well as creating their own clothes with colonist made materials, in the name of supporting the American Revolution. The contributions made by women were not executed only based in resistance of British product, but through organizing funds to be raised towards the American Revolution monetarily as well. A group known as the Daughters of Liberty, which was comprised of women alone, worked together in boycotting British goods as a whole. Though women were often pushed towards making motherhood their top priority, some women still participated in battle throughout the American Revolution. Women were essentially restricted in many aspects of day to day life, such as the lack of ability to own property, or vote politically, as well as often being restricted to spending time managing family life while raising children to be properly educated, politically inclined, and religiously sound (Pg. 121). This is quite unfortunate in my eyes, as we more widely now know that women can certainly, and should certainly, participate in all things that were restricted to men only. Though many women had significant positive impact in terms of the American Revolution in multiple ways as I previously stated, I believe that if women were seen back then as equal as they truly are now, we would have been able to hear more about the roles women played in the American Revolution.

According to our textbook, one woman who is remembered for her contribution during the American Revolution is Sybil Ludington. She is remembered for warning American colonists that British soldiers were invading and pillaging a colonist town known as Concord in the year 1777 (Pg. 120). This was a significant feat, because Ludington was only sixteen years old, and had to travel over forty miles on horseback in order to protect and warn the colonists of what was taking place in Concord. This is certainly an extremely brave act and absolutely was a significant contribution made during the American Revolution. 

Another woman who is remembered for her contribution during the Revolutionary war is Nancy Hart. Hart was at her home cabin when six British soldiers demanded information on the whereabouts of a leader, as well as entering Hart's home and demanding to be served food and drinks. Hart then most notably told her daughter to retrieve water from outside, then in secret, told her to warn the neighbors that British soldiers had arrived, by loudly blowing a conch shell (allthingsliberty.com/2021/09/10-amazing-women-revolutionary-war/). Hart then bravely, through distraction and sleight of hand, passed the British soldiers' weapons through a hole in the wall to her daughter, which subsequently resulted in the soldiers noticing, followed by one soldier then demanding their missing weapons back. Confronting Nancy Hart was certainly not the best idea, and the soldier who did so, perished. Not only did that one soldier who contested her not make it, but once her husband arrived as well, they all seemed to essentially disappear. This was because Hart had the courage to stand up to these soldiers, which resulted in her and her husband surviving, but as for the soldiers, they did not, at the hands of Hart. 

The next women who is known for her significant contributions to the Revolutionary War is Lucy Knox. Knox cared for many colonial soldiers, leaving behind her family, and starting her own with her newly found husband at the age of fourteen. Knox had arrived at camp Valley Forge, along with her young daughter and her husband, to take care of and help support the colonists fighting in the Revolutionary War. Knox spent much of her time taking care of and supporting soldiers who were going through many trials and tribulations throughout the war. This was a selfless act, and is shown to be one through Knox not even owning a home while she supported colonists through the Revolutionary War (allthingsliberty.com/2021/09/10-amazing-women-revolutionary-war/). 

Another important woman who made a large contribution towards supporting the Revolutionary War is Esther Deberdt Reed. Despite originally being from London, she married an American man and subsequently moved to Philadelphia, where in which she began to support colonial ideas. She supported the colonists in the Revolutionary War through creating "The Ladies of Philadelphia", where her and many others would ask for contributions to the Revolution by going to citizen's homes and asking. This resulted in three hundred thousand dollars being raised, and she had the idea to give it to the participating soldiers, but was then told to use it for clothing for all of the colonist soldiers (https://allthingsliberty.com/2021/09/10-amazing-women-revolutionary-war/). The actions of this woman particularly stood out to me, seeing that she was born under British rule, then chose an American man, and supported the colonist ideologies, and made significant contributions towards supporting them. I'm quite surprised I had not heard of her before, but I'm glad that I now have. 

One woman who is often depicted in historical books for making significant contributions during the Revolutionary War is Mary Ludwick Hays, also known as Molly Pitcher. Pitcher was supporting the colonist men who were fighting the British, including her husband, by bringing them water throughout their struggles. This is important because during a battle that was going on in which she was supporting her husband and his comrades, her husband was then wounded during battle, resulting in her taking on his role of actively fighting the British. It was not only one battle that she was likely to have participated in, but is thought to have contributed in many other similar battles throughout the Revolutionary War. The American Government eventually recognized her courageous actions by giving her a pension (https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/road-to-revolution/the-american-revolution/a/women-in-the-american-revolution). I find this to be a strong contribution towards the colonist side of the Revolutionary War, and is proof that many other women, if allowed by men unfortunately, could have absolutely fought alongside men in larger numbers. Overall, women absolutely made many contributions towards the Revolutionary War.