Women in Colonial America: Fight for Rights Research Paper

Although women came to America expecting some of the same liberties and freedoms their men fought for, it was a long time before they were able to enjoy the rights and freedoms they enjoy today. Puritans who settled in Colonial America created laws and customs relating to women’s roles that were, in some cases, more stringent than those that existed in England at the time. This traditional, patriarchal society was intent on punishing women who did not conform to the prescribed ‘norms’ of the Puritan culture.

Colonial women were prevented from owning property; they could not negotiate their own contracts or even keep any of their own wages. “Before the middle of the nineteenth century, the property rights of American married women followed the dictates of common law, under which everything a woman owned became her husband’s property upon her marriage” (“Married Women’s Property Acts”, n.d.). These restrictions on what a woman could do or own were partly due to the fact that most women were not considered intelligent enough to consider all the consequences involved in managing business or political situations. Women also played the subordinate role in defining the family’s religious beliefs.

The observed religious traditions that guided the patriarchal family order allowed wives only a small authoritative role within the family unit. Wives that happily accepted their role and conformed to Puritan societal standards were openly referred to and addressed as ‘goodwife.’ However, the authoritative figure in the family and throughout all facets of Puritan society was clearly the man. The only role that wives served in the male dominated public psyche was caring for children and completing household chores, at all times subordinate to their husbands. Thought of as the physical, intellectual and emotionally weaker gender, they were thus more likely to give in to the temptations of the Devil. Women were the images of Eve, lustful for sexual gratification, power and money. This common view of Puritan men “made women susceptible to charges of witchcraft, particularly those who stood to inherit large estates that would have endowed them with uncommon economic influence” (Karlsen, 1987: 52).

The Puritan ideology included an intense belief that the devil endeavored to tempt Christians from following God’s laws. According to Puritanical beliefs, they are responsible to observe and then eliminate the presence of evil in society. Paranoia was the order of the day especially amongst the women. Neighbors were constantly on the alert for unusual or less than Christian behaviors. Most of these people had known each other all their lives and tensions ran high when one accused another of witchcraft. Many women in Salem stood accused because of personal financial successes and thus their lack of dependence on men. In the Puritan culture, men were thought to be ordained by God to rule over women. “The accusations were not pronounced in order to punish the women for their strength in comparison to men but because they were seen to be a danger to the Puritan society and its value system” (Gragg, 1992: 25f).

The Puritans were a society that followed the patriarchal teachings of the Bible which teaches that men are the leaders of the family and community while women are present only to serve a ‘role’ in men’s holy and earthly endeavor. Women were considered the property of men and those who would not submit to a man’s control was viewed at least as anti-social and possibly evil, a minion of the Devil. White men ruled colonial America while all others including slaves and women served their desires. The legacy of this oppressive society lasted for many years following the colonial era and many would admit still lingers today deep in the psyche of society.

Works Cited

Gragg, Larry. The Salem Witch Crisis. New York and London: Praeger, (1992).

Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998.

“Married Women’s Property Acts.” Reader’s Companion to American History. (n.d.). Houghton Mifflin Company. 2008. Web.