The American Revolution took place in the eighteenth century. Colonies in North American wanted to gain freedom from the colonial British Empire. The colonies joined hands and a war broke out that eventually led to independence. Not only did the revolution bring about independence, but also other many changes. The changes happened to both men and women. Among those changes was the increased emphasis on education. The need for women education increased during this time.
The change that followed the Revolutionary War was the need for education so that people could govern themselves properly. In particular, women education become necessary as the perception of society about women had changed for the better. The Republican government of the day also realized the importance of including women in education.
The women would be crucial in educating their children how to read and write to make them better citizens in the future. In order for the women to fulfill, the role they needed to be educated first thus the emphasis of education for them in what came to be known as Republican Motherhood. In the spirit of Revolution Motherhood, the government increased its support for women education (Long, 2006).
Furthermore, there was the ideal of a mother who was a teacher and Christian. The idea of such a woman had its roots on the religious values, which led to the strong emphasis of the women education. The women had to be educated so that they could pass the religious values to their children, as there was the need to Christianize American after breaking away from its colonizer.
Women faced limitations in education, prior to the revolution. They did not have equal access to education as men or rather the girls were just taught basics and most could not write or read anything advanced unlike the boys who received proper education. During the revolution, the women got more chances to seek education but limitations persisted. After the revolution war, the demand for women education increased.
The women could handle other learning apart from housewifery. They were making gains in getting equal opportunities in education as well as in employment in professions previously reserved for men. Nonetheless, despite the gains limitations existed. For a large number of women to attain high education was a tall order (Analysis of Women’s Education, 2010).
The women from high and middle class had an opportunity to attain higher education and were the majority in the teaching profession. The women in lower class did not have such an opportunity to realize their educational dreams and thus could not enjoy the benefits of education. On the contrary, women working in the teaching profession earned less than their male counterparts did because men were still viewed as the sole providers for the family.
In addition, women despite their increased educational levels still worked in less paying professions than the men. The women especially in low class who had less access to education could only find employment in lower professions due to low levels of educational attainment. For instance, they worked as sewers and cooks. On the other hand, race also affected access to education. The slaves who were mainly African Americans did not have access to education. It was against the law to teach the slaves any form of literacy (Gelbrich, 1999).
Lately, the changes that began with the American Revolution in increasing education for women have continued to impact women. More women have gained access to education to study courses of their choice and have gone on to work in their chosen professions. However, more still needs to be done to close the gap between men and women in terms of educational attainment and equal opportunities in professions predominantly reserved for men.
Reference List
Analysis of Women’s Education. (2010). Web.
Gelbrich, J. (1999). American Education. Web.
Long, D. (2006). Effects of the American Revolution on Society. Web.