Womens History

Women 's Contribution in the Union Army

The Civil War not only led to the end of slavery , but it also led to the emancipation of women . Early America was a country of men who determined that the women 's place was at home . Married women had no right to own property . The husband owned everything she inherited or earned . She cannot enter into any contract and she could not vote . Women belonging to the more prosperous families spend their time learning polite manners and needlework and to play an instrument and to

dance the waltz . It was a quite a struggle if one desires to acquire higher education

In the mid-nineteenth century , the movement for the abolition of slavery was gaining ground . There were several women who figured prominently as abolitionists and among these were Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cody Stanton . They were sent to London as delegates to an anti-slavery convention . However , they found the doors closed to them because of the old prejudice that women belong at home ' The result of the two ladies ' indignation at such treatment was the first women 's rights convention held at Seneca Falls , New York in 1848 . The outcome of this was the formation of the Women 's Suffrage Association . 1

Despite this digression , Mott and Stanton remained full time abolitionists as it was with countless other women . They share the common opinion that slavery was wrong and it was their duty , both moral and religious , to have the institution abolished . The writer , Frederick Douglass had written , When the true history of the antislavery cause shall be written , women will occupy a large space in its pages for the cause of the slave has been peculiarly woman 's cause ' 2

This opinion had , in essence , provided a radical change in women 's attitudes due to their commitment to it . In calling for abolition , they were calling for a change in status quo in all areas be it poetical economics , religious or social . They had to step out of their houses into streets and parlors and meeting houses to speak against slavery against slavery . They learned to reason , to discuss , to argue . In organizing settlements , they manifested their innate administrative and financial capabilities . They challenged authority and even broke laws by aiding fugitive slaves . They also challenged traditional gender roles Women started to make their presence felt in society and in politics Hence , their perception of self began to change as they began to feel their independence from the shadow of men

This was the prevailing mood amongst the women of the North when the war broke out between states . While some women merely continued to work for the anti-slavery cause , some opted to work directly with the fighting men of the Union Army . Among these were Mary Livermore and Clara Barton Both were born in 1821 in Massachusetts , both became teachers and both labored for the relief of soldiers during the Civil War

Mary and her clergyman husband had already been...