Like the title of the blog suggests, the role women and slaves played in the American Revolution is often overlooked. Most people think about Washington, Jefferson, Adams etc. when they think about the 1770s, and those people were important! But, there were other groups who played strategic roles in the fight against Britain.
Visit these two links (women & slaves) and in the Comment section discuss why you think each group chose to play a part in the war. Do you think they got what they wanted or did they help out and then were forgotten?
In my opinion, I think both got what they wanted. Each were eager to help out in the war (excluding the women who were unsure about being nurses because, come on, their conditions back then were pretty gross) and they both gained something from it. The women gained freedom from the British and possibly respect, except the secret women soldiers. They were thrown in jail. The blacks were promised freedom and eagerly took arms to fight with whichever side offered it first. The two groups were unappreciated and underrated. But, no matter what anyone said back then, they were both vital to the colonists. What would the wounded do without nurses? What would the troops do with no one fighting? So maybe a few of the women and black’s stories will go unheard, but we all know the big picture, and you can be sure that many of those two groups have helped us be the nation we are today.
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The women chose to help in the war a lot of times because they were either poor and unmarried (they wanted money) or they couldn’t take care of themselves while their husband was in the war. Most of the women who helped in the war were not recognized, and still aren’t. Some were secret soldiers or spies. No one really thinks about what the women did in the war. Without them, the war would have been a lot harder. The slaves were promised freedom from both sides if they won. However, the slaves were never freed. Whites didn’t believe slaves should have the same rights. However, the slaves united in their desire for freedom. (114)
ReplyDeleteThis was interesting to find out all the ways people helped in the Revolutionary War. The women helped in many ways. First they helped by being nurses. This helped the doctors in the camps with the hospital work. They were also doing regular things they would have done at home like cooking and being maids. They were also secret soldiers, they dressed up like men and made up fake cover names. Many of the women were found and put in prison, but they still fought in the war. The women would act as spies sometimes too. They would hang laundry to tell what was happening with the British forces. The slaves were guaranteed freedom if they fought for either side if that side won the war. The slaves didn't really care about who won the war as long as they could have their freedom.
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This were two very inportant groups in the war. The wemon helped a lot in the war. They were nurses , they helped with hospital works. They also did meals and being maids. I thought something that was very cool was that they had like undercover soldiers if that’s what you want to call them they got fake cover names and dressed up like men. Many people got thrown in jail for doing this. On the slaves side the people did not care about the war as long as they got independence. I think the ladies and slaves were sometimes forgotten but did pay a major part.
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Women played a big part in the war but it was shown most during their behind-the-scenes work rather than out on the battlefield. While women did fight some, they were more prominent in the kitchen or the hospital, tending to those in need. Women were lost in the war because males were more prominent then and they still are now.
ReplyDeleteAlso, slaves played a large role in the outcome of the war. The slaves wanted freedom so they joined the army in the fight against Britain to gain favor with the white people. While their actions didn’t lead to their freedom, their role wasn’t forgotten by me and will always be remembered in the years to come.
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I think slaves and women were very overlooked during the war. I believe that they made a big contribution to the war effort on both sides. Women made close for the colonists and sometimes also acted as a spy network. When the colonists started boycotting British goods women began making their own goods so colonists life could go on. I also think slaves were major contribution for both sides. While some slaves chose to fight for the colonists most of them fought for the British. The British told the slaves that if they fought for the crown they would be granted freedom if they won.
ReplyDeleteSlaves and women were not praised well enough! Women mostly signed up for war if they didn't have enough money to take care of themselves. Most of the women were wives, daughters, and mothers of the men fighting. Some women took care of the wounded and sick while others fought undercover. Some even became spies. Slaves, however, fought not because they were either for the British or the Colonies, but because they wanted freedom, and because both sides promised them freedom. They thought that the war could be a chance for them to get a better life. Because of the colonies letting them fight, it even started making the colonists think about slavery. Both slaves and women had a significant role in the war. (124)
ReplyDeleteI think that women chose to be a part in the war either because they really wanted their independance or they just really needed money. Some women were so determined that they would pretend to be a guy so they could fight, get caught, go to jail, and then start the whole process over again under a different alias. But some just needed money to feed their families because their husband was a soldier. The blacks only joined the war because they were promised freedom (which they didn't get). They didn't care which side they fought for because both sides had promised them the same thing. I guess they decided on who to fight for by determining who had the upper hand.
ReplyDeleteThe women got what they wanted out of the whole thing but the slaves did not. The women wanted the same thing as everyone else; independance. And because they won the war, that's exactly what they got. All the slaves wanted was freedom and that's exactly what they didn't get. But like the article said, "While the Revolution did not emancipate them, it united them in their belief of freedom. It aided in the creation of a sense of community and gave them a platform from which to fight for the abolition of slavery." (212)
I think that with no women in the war, it would have been very different. There would not have been new clothes that women made. They also made most of the food. And they were the nurses. They had that "mother gene" that men do not. They knew how to take care of people, they also knew just what to do to take care of them. I think that they do not get as much credit as they deserved. If you just think, it was hard with the clothes, food and nurses that were there. Think about there being no nurses. No women to make ford, clothes or anything else. I think that there would have been a lot more death in the war.(125)
ReplyDeleteWomen played big roles in the American Revolution. Women who had sons of husbands in the war would go with them and be nurses, cooks, maids, and seamstresses for the army. Because many of them had been housewives, they were used to this kind of work. They were paid to do it and would get some food. The women would do these jobs because they couldn’t support themselves without the men around. Women also disguised themselves as men so that they could fight. I think this is cool, like Mulan. Slaves also played a big part in the Revolutionary War. Because Americans wanted freedom, the blacks thought that then would be a good time to also fight for their freedom. Many fought in the British army only because the British promised freedom if they won the war. The Patriots took longer to let blacks into the military because they were afraid they might turn on them if they got a gun in their hands. They were, however, allowed into the military once the Patriots became desperate for soldiers and they too offered freedom. The blacks fought very hard, and aren’t recognized for that. They didn’t get what they had wanted and were forgotten. The women, did get what they wanted, because they got the money they needed to support themselves (barely), and won their freedom from Britain. (227)
ReplyDeletewhen I visited these websites, I noticed that more and more they had these people incorporated in the war but gave them no credit at all. This was disappointing seeing now hundreds of years ago that giving them any credit would have been nice. Looking through these articles I saw that the women kind of risked their lives being spies and giving secret messages through their laundry, and that when their husbands were gone or if they didn't have a spouse they mostly wanted money. (like the rest of the world) this is one take on one people group that may or may not have been recognized. now onto slaves, the slaves did a lot of work during the Revolutionary War, they were slaves, minutemen, soldiers, spies, maids, etc. everyone had an important role in the war. at the end of the war, I honestly, believe everyone of them got what they wanted. (153)
ReplyDeleteI think that the slaves and women played a huge role in the revolutionary war. A lot of the women fought in the war and also without them, the spy network would not have been as good. The women defiantly helped out a lot with that. Some of them would hang their sheets different ways to signify different things. Others were cooks or nurses and would tell the other side about what was going on or going to happen. Slaves fought in the war for their freedom. They did not care about the freedom of the colonies, they cared about their own.
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ReplyDeleteSome women wanted food and protection because they could not support themselves after the man left for war. Others wanted to be paid. Also, some of the women just wanted to be free. The ones that wanted freedom obviously got what they wanted. The others got what they wanted somewhat. Even though they did get pay, it was very little. Some women were forgotten. For the slaves, most did not get what they wanted. They were fighting for freedom of slavery. It did help white people to think about slavery more, but most were not set free. I think the women got the better end of the deal then the slaves. Still neither of them fully got what they wanted. (121
ReplyDeleteWomen in the Revolutionary War took on many roles; some were traditional while others were unconventional and scandalous for the time. From supportive roles like nurses, cooks and maids to more direct roles such as secret soldiers and spies, women did more than their share to help win America’s independence. Nurses were not used much during the early days of the war; they became more important in 1777. Spies women would hang their laundry special ways so that passing ships would know like were to go and what to do.
ReplyDeleteThe American Revolution was not only the colonies fight to gain independence but the African-Americans largest slave revolt. The slaves wanted freedom just like the colonists did
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Both groups helped in the war but in different ways and for different reasons. The women participated to survive. They needed food and protection. There duties were that of the women’s role of the era. A few did disguise themselves as men and fought or were spies. I do not thank they were appreciated for there services because all throughout history, women were thought of as inferior to men. It was way after this war that women could voice there political views, vote, and work outside the homes. Even today most jobs that are equally held by me and women, the women’s pay is lowers then a man’s. The slave’s reasons for joining were completely different. They saw it as freedom from personal bondage and not political or social reasons. The British and eventually Americans let them join there armies. Their emancipation was never realized but it did unite them in essential values and beliefs in there freedom.
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