...Women, Slaves, and Free Blacks in the Civil War What roles did the Northern women play in the war effort on the Union side during the Civil War? What roles did the Southern women play in the war effort on the Confederate side during the Civil War? How did the war affect each group? “There were just shy of 400 documented cases of women who served as soldiers during the Civil War, according to the records of the Sanitary Commission.” (Brown, 2012) Women during the 19th century, according to Historian Barbara Welters were “hostage of the home”. (Brown, 2012) Women were considered what we know now as home wives, without really the option of doing anything outside of the home. When the Civil War began, that meant that men left home behind to go join the ranks. Therefore, the duty lie heavily on the women. The war, in a sense, gave women independence. Instead of just taking care of the home and children, women had to fulfill the duties their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons once fulfilled due to the economic hardships. (“Over the course of the war, inflation in the South caused prices to rise by 9000%.”) (U.S. History Online Textbook, 2015) The women in the South held fundraisers to raise money for army supplies and also provided soldiers with necessary supplies of everyday life. In the South, many women had to become school teachers (for the first time) and eventually were granted permission to work in the hospitals due to the lack of nurses due to all the casualties...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
...Women in the Civil War During the Civil War, many women decided to take huge, courageous steps in order to be enlisted in the union or confederacy. Sometimes women would do it to stay close to their husbands. Despite all their hard work they went through and their participation, they are still not very recognized by specialist in the civil war to this very day. I believe the reason for this is because the ratio of enlisted women to men is very low on the women’s behalf. If historians praised the few women who made this valiant attempt, other historians (mostly prejudice men) would attach the ones on the women’s side and argue that the civil war women made no impact and without them enlisted, the civil war would have had the same outcome. The steps the women tool during the Civil War era were huge. Whatever they did must have been done with high precision and they must have had a good way of disguising themselves if soldiers didn’t notice that a woman was standing in front of them who was enlisted in the army. I feel that women felt that it was a must for them to be equal with men. I feel that some women were fed up with being unequal and not having the same right as men and they had to put their foot down, but, found a way to do so with little consequence. What petite woman would do is they would stuff their suits to imitate a full upper body. Many women in present time absolutely cherish their hair, but these women who decided to take the journey of enlisting were brave...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
...Women were vital in staffing the war by encouraging men to enlist, even stating that they would not marry anyone who did not. The Civil War had a tremendous impact on everyone in America during the four years of a battle that claimed many lives and divided many families. Although, the civil war was known as a man’s fight the image women had during the civil was as nurses, spies, or ladies maintaining the house why the men are away. They even took arms and charged into battle, like the men. The women lied in camps, suffered in prison, and died for their causes. The daily lives and roles and responsibilities of women were greatly affected by the Civil War, both during and after the war. Women had a great effect in the civil war, as nurses, aides and spies being called the “angles in the battlefield”. Women had important roles in the U.S. Civil War, which lasted from 1861 through 1865. Some women joined organizations and worked during the Civil War. They joined the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon, the Ladies Hospital Aid Society and the United States Christian Commission. These organizations prepared supplies and delivered them to battlefields and camps. They also collected money to send to the troops. Groups planned fairs, raffles and dances to raise money. They even set up hospitals in homes, churches and any other building near the front lines. When men left home to go to war, women became responsible for managing homes, businesses and farms. Women also worked in more personal...
Words: 1435 - Pages: 6
... Women in the Civil War During the pre-civil war period of 1820-1860, changes in society were taking place. American civil war witnessed the biggest massacre for women’s identity at that time but they walked along with men to give them moral and emotional support so that they can reach their determined goals. Conflicts between the North and South were increasing in number and many advocators of abolition and women’s rights began to gain recognition from supporters. This was a period of great change in the United States, particularly for women. Throughout the journey of American civil war, every women, girl, nurse, sister, housewife played their ordinary role. While reviewing the Civil War it becomes evident that the great contributions made by many women have not been properly recognized. Women were held with respect even though they were considered weak. Women participated in the same work as the men. They worked on the farms while tending to livestock and helped with plowing, planting and harvesting, as well as performing the many duties associated with keeping the home intact. Many women broke away from society’s traditional view of women when the Civil War broke out. Those women distinguished themselves in many different fields, even though they were looked down on by society. Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined the army of the North and South as fighting men. These brave women wanted the same respect as the men received from the society. Women undertook...
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...The women that enlisted in the army to take up arms in the Civil War deserve to be recognized and remembered for their service, just as the men are today. It is estimated that four hundred to six hundred women enlisted in the war. However it is not for sure just how many women enlisted and served in the war since they went to such lengths to keep their identity a secret. Mary Livermore worked for the U.S Sanitary Commission and wrote, “Someone has stated the number of women soldiers known to the service as little less than four hundred. I cannot vouch for the correctness of this estimate, but I am convinced that a larger number of women disguised themselves and enlisted in the service, for one cause or other, than was dreamed of.” While...
Words: 279 - Pages: 2
...Many women were affected by the Civil War and many made an huge impact on it. It was a very difficult for women and also young girls in that time and after the war it changed women roles in society. After the civil war many things improved for women and that lead them to be equal to men. The woman’s impact improved a lot of things like there education standing, secured additional legal rights, and acquired greater access to manufactured goods. It shifted the roles of women in society and made both men and women equal. Before the war women were expected to carry out the duties of a housewife and even younger women. “Carry berry was a ten year old girl who was pushed towards duties that would determine to be an acceptable women in society” Women...
Words: 338 - Pages: 2
...Women played unique and important roles during the Civil War Women played unique and important roles in American society during the Civil War era. According to the article, "The Roles of Women in the Civil War – Civil War Saga,” it stated that the women’s job were specifically was to provide a clean, comfortable, and nurturing home for their husbands and children. As the men were signing or volunteering to fight in the Civil War, women had to do more than ever before. They had to provide the soldiers with the supplies they would need to fight in the Civil War. This lifestyle for women require them to step in and take jobs that men would normally do because of the war ("The Roles of Women in the Civil War – Civil War Saga”). Some of the...
Words: 567 - Pages: 3
...Background: Pre-Civil War, women were mostly expected to care for their families and do housework. Women who were less fortunate had no other option but to work outside of the house to earn wages. For women working out in rural areas, farm work was piled on top of household responsibilities. It was not uncommon for women to aid in harvesting crops, raising livestock, and planting or plowing crops. Other women who lived in more urban areas had more of a job selection to choose from as cities started to offer more better-paying options. In fact, by the beginning of the twentieth century, one out of five women had a job and twenty-five percent of those women worked in manufacturing. Women were usually paid half to less than half the amount of...
Words: 1042 - Pages: 5
...The Civil War was not only fought in battlefields, but also in the daily lives of southerners at home. Victoria Ott’s study in Confederate Daughters: Coming of Age in the Civil War examines the unique demographic of young women coming of age during the time of the war. The sources for her study come from young women born between 1843 and 1849 to wealthy secession supporting families in the south. The study is chronologically organized and seeks to understand how the young women’s gender and upbringing tied their generation together and shaped support for the Civil war, even after it ended. The late antebellum is the first period examined, specifically young women’s lives before the war. Education is emphasized as the means by which women...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...Women, Slaves, and Free Blacks in the Civil War History/110 25 Feb 2015 1. What roles did Northern women play in the war effort on the Union side during the Civil War? What roles did Southern women play in the war effort on the Confederate side during the Civil War? How did the war affect each group? Northern women contributed greatly to the Civil War effort for the north. As the north was more industrialized, women took on jobs that were traditionally done by men. They worked in manufacturing, worked in retail, and took care of more things around their homes. Northern women took care of the homes and children and often did things around the house that the men mainly use to do. Some women decided to take a more serious support of the war effort by becoming nurses and tending to the wounded men as they returned from the front lines. Some women attached themselves to various units and took on support roles for the units. These support roles included cooking, laundering, clothing repair and nursing. All of these duties were in an effort to alleviate extra efforts on the men’s part. A few women even volunteered to take on intelligence gathering roles and conducting clandestine operations to gather information from confederate units. These would infiltrate confederate units and create rapport with influential members of a unit in order to solicite and gather intelligence that could be used against them. Information such as troop movements, troop strength, current operations...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...Our American History: Improving Social Justice for Minorities and Women From the End of the Civil War Through the 1970s History 1312 The University of Texas at Arlington December 16, 2011 Improving Social Justice for Minorities and Women From the End of the Civil War Through the 1970s I. At the end of the Civil War in 1865, most African American slaves held a renewed hope that with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 would come economic opportunity and social mobility. There was the expectation that they would have political representation and the assurance of at least the beginning of attaining equality1. After the end of the war in 1865, there were enough states to ratify the 13th Amendment which outlawed slavery. However, it did not provide any equal rights or citizenship. As time passed and minorities began to assert themselves into American society, social justice movements that were led by blacks and whites alike began to become more commonplace. However, the struggle to become fully recognized as equal members of American society has been a battle that was fought through the 1970s—and in some measure, continues today. Like minorities, women have struggled with inequality and social injustice. However, their decision to fight for equality began before the start of the Civil War. The Seneca Falls Convention in New York was held in July of 1848, and can be referred to as the...
Words: 3246 - Pages: 13
...was unlawful for a women to join. If any anyone discovered her true identity, punishment and even death might happen to Suzanne. However, she decided that it was a risk she was willing to take. The Civil War Years introduced devastation and internal conflict to the United States....
Words: 1999 - Pages: 8
...before the Civil War, American women lives were based on a set of ideals that historians call "the Cult of True Womanhood." While men work moved away from the home and into shops, offices and factories, the household became a new kind of place: a private, feminized domestic sphere, a "haven in a heartless world." Women devoted their lives to creating a clean, comfortable, nurturing home for their husbands and children. During the Civil War, however, American women turned their attention to the world outside the home. This was the first time in the history of United States that Women actively participated during the Civil War, and the best part is that the participation of the women from the northern and southern side. Northern women played a significant role on the Union side of civil war while Southern War played a significant role on the Confederate side of the Civil War. Although there is not much difference as how actively women from north and south put themselves on the war from as it was almost equal but the major difference was the percentage of participation on the northern front was much more from women as compared to the southern end. Unfortunately, the economy in the south would be the falter to its defeat. However, even though it was wrong and immoral, the South had the upper hand by having slaves do the work that the women did in the north. During the Civil War of 1861, women and men came together to help fight for the cause. In the Northern states, women organized...
Words: 886 - Pages: 4
...Women, Slaves, and Free Blacks in the Civil War Inez Williams-Jones U.S. History to 1865 HIS/110 October 15, 2012 Women, Slaves, and Free Blacks in the Civil War The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point for the Civil War (Civil War Academy, 2010). It turned the tide of war from the South to the North, pushing back Lee’s army that would never fight again on Northern soil and bringing confidence to the Union army. What Roles did Northern Women play in the War Effort on the Union Side during the Civil War Clara Barton, a Northerner, had the skills of helping people, especially in the American Civil War. During the war, she collected and delivered supplies to Northern troops in the Washington, D.C. area, used her medical skills to aid Northern troops, and later organized The Ladies Aid Society as well as The American Red Cross where she dedicated the remaining of her life. Northern women organized fundraising projects, county fairs, which were beneficial in raising money for medical supplies and other necessities. Inspired by Florence Nightingale, the women put forth efforts to work on the front lines aiding injured and wounded soldiers by establishing a Preventive Hygienic and Sanitary Service for helping the union soldiers called the United States Sanitary Commission which were to combat preventable diseases and infections (Chang, 1991). One of these famous Army nurses was Louisa May Alcott, who traveled from hospital to hospital ...
Words: 1307 - Pages: 6
...rights has been going on since before the civil war. The civil war was a war fought between the Union ( North ) and the Confederate side (South) from 1861-1865 about mostly slavery. During the civil war, only men were allowed to fight, which frustrated many women. Women wanted to be alongside men fighting, but could not because of their domestic responsibilities such as cooking and cleaning. And the fact that a lady wanted to do a man's job that was demanding of her was extremely controversial. However, many women took this risk and took a very involved role in the war. Women’s involvement in the civil war created a push for women's rights by taking women out of the home, breaking down gender roles, and creating more opportunities. Before the war women were obligated to do household jobs like taking care of the kids, doing laundry, etc…...
Words: 887 - Pages: 4
