The role of women in the political and social life of the early United States is often underestimated; still, it was prominent. Women had no political rights in those times and were even treated as inferior compared with men. They had traditional roles and responsibilities as housekeepers, and they managed to influence the essential political and social decisions while remaining perfectly fit for those roles.
The influence of women on politics was indirect; despite being formally excluded from political decisions, they participated in them informally. They could not be elected as officials, but they could influence the officials; they did it often. Abigail Adams, a wife of John Adams, one of the American Founding Fathers, wrote directly in the letter to her husband about recognizing women’s rights (Norton and Alexander 113). A wife of another political candidate in the 18th century provided meat and liquor for those who voted for her husband: it was, literally, bribery of voters (Norton and Alexander 111–12). In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution opened women possibilities to work, and they used them to become more independent, despite still being connected with their home responsibilities. Thus, the indirect impact of women on political life was quite strong, even though they had no political rights; this impact became stronger and stronger as Industrial Revolution persisted.
Associations and societies of women became an essential part of American social life in the 19th century. A prominent example is the American Female Moral Reform Society, which was formed to keep the existing ethics and fight its violation (Norton and Alexander 137–38). The question of morality was usually considered as connected with women: society treated them as keepers of morality. An example of such a treatment is a document about the “seduction of a 14-year-old girl by a gentleman”, where a diarist relates this immoral act to the low moral qualities of the gentlemen’s wife (Norton and Alexander 135). Women were perfectly fit for this role, and they used it for influence. Despite not occupying leadership positions, they indirectly influenced society via their associations while formally staying as mere housekeepers.
Work Cited
Norton, Mary Beth, and Ruth Alexander. Major Problems in American Women’s History. 2nd ed., D C Heath & Co, 1996.