Introduction
To begin with, it is necessary to emphasize that the period of American independence was featured with the absence of rights for women and African Americans. They did not have even basic rights stipulated. It is claimed that even revolution did not guarantee equal rights to every American. However, the situation started changing in the 19th century with the so-called market revolution. Forner (2005) emphasizes that “many white Americans could have look forward to a life of economic accumulation and individual advancement but large numbers of free blacks experience downward mobility. It is worth noting that free blacks from the north were the last group to experience indentured servitude since the terms of emancipation required children of slave mothers to work for their masters before being freed.”
Main Discussion
The market revolution was intended to improve the financial position of African Americans and it is also regarded as the confirmation that African Americans did not have any financial and social opportunities at that time. Originally, these were not only the southerners who discriminated against the African Americans. The northerners were also denying the rights and opportunities for blacks and white women, however, on the other hand, some influential northerners supported emancipation. Anyway, according to Forner (2005) “the earlier ideology of republican motherhood which allowed women a kind of public roles as mothers of future citizens evolved subtly into the mid-nineteenth century as the cult of domesticity. As more men were leaving the home for work women did exercise considerable power over personal affairs within the family. The rapid decline in the American birthrate during the nineteenth century cannot be explained except by the conscious decision of millions of women to limit the number of children they bore. The idea of a domestic city minimized even women’s indirect participation in the outside world. To both genders, freedom meant fulfilling their respective inborn qualities”.
Men were regarded as rational, hostile, and dominant, while women were nurturing, selfless, ruled by their emotions and thus they were less fitting for public life. Men moved freely between public and private life spheres while women were supposed to remain cloistered in the private realm of the family. (Forner, 2005). As for nowadays, it should be stated that the treatment towards men and women stayed the same, however, there are much more exceptions from this rule nowadays. It emphasizes the development of the legislative base, which promotes social rights and financial opportunities for women. The same is with the blacks: they have much more opportunities, they have affirmative action (which is often called reverse discrimination), and they have an opportunity to lead the corporation, and now even to rule the country. It was impossible at least 50 years ago. It may seem that women at this time have all the necessary freedoms but however, some consider that it is rather a false perception. It is explained by the fact that women are still discriminated against and considered to be weaker than men.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to emphasize that the market revolution offered numerous opportunities for African Americans and white women, though it offered opportunities that caused the essential division in the already divided community.
References
Foner, E. Give Me Liberty! An American History. Vol. 1. Second Edition. Seagull Edition, 2005.