Author:Leslie Hoeckle, Gorman Crossing Elementary, Howard County Public School System
Grade Level:Upper Elementary
Duration:1-2 Sessions
Overview:
In the Southern colonies, women boycotted more than just tea as they aligned themselves against the non-importation policies. Fifty-one female North Carolinians signed the Edenton Ladies' Tea Party agreement in October 1774. The women declared their "sincere adherence" to the resolves of the provincial Congress, and proclaimed it their "duty" to do "every thing [sic] as far as lies in our power" to support the "publick good." This action marked a turning point in American women's involvement in the pre-war effort and perceptions of themselves as political participants. The meeting, however, amused most men, as signified in the satirical drawing of the ladies by the Englishman Arthur Iredell, after reading about it in the newspaper. Thus, this early stirring of political awareness among American women was dismissed as a joke.
The broadside, entitled The Sentiments of an American Woman, was printed by John Dunlap on June 10, 1780. Although it was only signed "An American Woman," historians have credited Esther DeBerdt Reed as its author. Written at a low point in the war, Reed saw the need for women to contribute to the war effort. Publication of the broadside marked the beginning of an organized women's movement in Philadelphia. By July 4, 1780, following its publication, $300,000 was collected and distributed to benefit the troops.The campaign surrounding the The Sentiments of an American Woman was an entry point for women to enter the political realm of the public sphere.
A poem, entitled "The Attempt is Praise," was published in the Maryland Gazette on January 5, 1781. Written by an unnamed soldier, the poem does just what the title suggests in praising the work of women during the Revolutionary War. The poet described the women as "mirrors of virtue," who inspired virtue in men. The mirror analogy was also an indication of how many soldiers felt about women's wartime contributions. The author further suggested that the war may not have been won if not for their efforts.
By examining primary sources, students will gain a deeper understanding of how women's contributions to the Revolutionary War effort were viewed by the public of their day.
Era 3: Revolution and the New Nation (1754 - 1820's)
Standard 2: The impact of the American Revolution on politics, economy, and society.
Historical Thinking Standards:
Standard 2: Historical Comprehension
- C. Identify the central questions the historical narrative addresses.
- D. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.
The student will be able to:
- Describe the viewpoints, roles, and contributions of individuals and groups during the Revolutionary period.
- Identify, interpret, and synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to analyze a social question/topic/situation/problem being studied.
Reed, Esther. The Sentiments of an American Woman. Broadside. Philadelphia, 1780. From Library of Congress, An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/rbpebib:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28rbpe+14600300%29%29
The broadside, entitled The Sentiments of an American Woman, was printed by John Dunlap on June 10, 1780. Although it was only signed "An American Woman," historians have credited Esther DeBerdt Reed as its author. Broadsides and other printed ephemera from the Revolutionary War period were created to meet an immediate need and not intended to be saved. A single sheet of paper, broadsides were produced quickly and distributed for free in large quantities. While broadsides were traditionally printed on one side, The Sentiments of an American Woman was printed with an addendum document on the reverse side.
Esther DeBerdt Reed was born in England on October 22, 1746. Her father, Dennis DeBerdt, was a successful merchant who traded with the colonies. The DeBerdt home was often a meeting place for Americans who had come to England to study business or law. In 1770, she married Joseph Reed, an American lawyer, and moved to Philadelphia. Joseph served as George Washington's secretary and aide-de-camp during the early years of the war and became the governor of Pennsylvania in 1778. Esther regularly wrote to her brother, Dennis DeBerdt in England, and her husband, and openly expressed her political thoughts and ideas. She wrote that she believed America had been wronged by the English Parliament and their tax acts.
As the war started, Esther shared her passion for the American cause as she discussed the strength of public commitment and her belief in the Americans' eventual victory. This set her apart from many colonial women of her time, who chose not to discuss politics, nor experience it through the men around them. Instead, she used her domestic role to further her own opinions and ideas about the Revolution. The Reeds entertained many important Patriots at their home. While the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, the Reeds held several events with its members. One member from Connecticut called Esther a "daughter of liberty." Esther developed The Sentiments of an American Woman and the Philadelphia Ladies Association just after giving birth to her sixth child and while recovering from smallpox.
The year 1780, when the broadside was published, marked the sixth year of the Revolutionary War. The soldiers of the Continental Army had just faced another harsh winter without proper supplies, clothing, or nourishment, leading to low morale, desertions, and attempts at mutiny. In the spring of 1780, British General Clinton had attacked and captured Fort Moultrie at Charleston, South Carolina. This was a significant American defeat, since Fort Moultrie was home to the southern American Army. Meanwhile, General Washington faced an attempted mutiny of two Continental regiments in Morristown, New Jersey, who demanded their payment of salary that was five months late and full rations. While the French had pledged to assist the Americans, their involvement did not show positive effects until July 1780. Joseph Reed had received news of the deteriorating conditions of the army from several sources and Esther Reed was well informed. Esther felt something had to be done to help the soldiers.
Realizing that morale was at a perilously low point among the Continental Army, Esther wrote The Sentiments of an American Woman as she saw a need for colonial women to contribute to the war effort. She wanted to reward the soldiers for their past services and inspire them for the future. Publication of the broadside marked the beginning of an organized women's movement in Philadelphia. Three days after publication, 36 women met in Philadelphia to show their support. This organization became known as the Ladies Association of Philadelphia and was most active between the years 1780-1781. The immediate plan of action was to conduct a fundraiser to benefit the troops that would involve all the colonies, carried out through the efforts of patriotic women. They kept highly detailed records of the monies collected. By July 4, 1780, the women had collected $300,000 in paper currency. That July, The Sentiments of an American Woman was published in newspapers throughout the colonies and encouraged women in other colonies to organize their own committees. While arranging how the money was to be distributed and working to create local committees in other towns, Esther contracted dysentery and died on September 18, 1780. After her death, the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, under the leadership of Sarah Franklin Bache, completed George Washington's request by sewing more that 2,000 shirts for the troops with the money raised.
The Sentiments of an American Woman is often viewed today as an example of "female patriotism." Colonial and Revolutionary era women were expected to restrict themselves to the "private sphere" of the home. Female patriotism, such as that exhibited by Reed and her associates, provided a means by which women could participate to some extent in the "public sphere" of politics and business. The women who worked on the campaign wrote circular letters explaining their activities to women in other towns. This led to similar campaigns in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. The campaign in New Jersey raised $15,488 for George Washington's troops. According to the historian Linda Kerber, the female patriots that organized and participated in these campaigns did not actually emerge from the women's private sphere. According to Kerber, they used their gender to tease or flirt to get contributions. However, Kerber admits that the broadside, The Sentiments of an American Woman, which accompanied the campaign, provided an ideological justification for women to enter the political realm of the public sphere.
Other Sources:
The Maryland Gazette. "The Attempt is Praise." January 5, 1781. From Maryland State Archives, Maryland Gazette Collection, 1779-1787. http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001283/html/m1283-0220.html
"The Attempt is Praise" is a poem that was written by an anonymous soldier. The poem does just what the title suggests, to flatter the work done by women during the war. The poet described the women as "mirrors of virtue," who inspired virtue in men. The author points out that the women that helped were of great assets, and the rest of his text asserts that the war would not be won if it had not been for their efforts.
Dawes, Philip. A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina. Cartoon. London: Robert Sayer and John Bennett, March 25, 1775. From Library of Congress, British Cartoon Print Collection. http://www.hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.19468
In the South, groups of women boycotted more than just tea as they aligned themselves against non-importation policies. Fifty-one female North Carolinians signed the Edenton Ladies' Tea Party agreement in October 1774. American women had never before taken on the responsibility of a public role. This marked a turning point in American women's political perceptions in which they would eventually see themselves as participants. The meeting, however, amused most men. This led to the satirical drawing of the ladies by the Englishman Arthur Iredell after he read about it in the newspaper.
Works Cited
Engle, Paul. Women in the American Revolution. Chicago: Follett Publishing Company, 1976.
Gundersen, Joan R. To Be Useful to the World: Women in Revolutionary America, 1740-1790. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
Kerber, Linda K. "History Can Do It No Justice: Women and the Reinterpretation of the American Revolution." Women in the Age of the American Revolution. Ed. Ronald Hoffman and Peter J. Albert. Charlottesville: United States Capitol Historical Society by the University Press of Virginia, 1989.
Kerber, Linda K. Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1980.
Norton, Mary Beth. Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980.
Norton, Mary Beth. "The Positive Impact of the American Revolution on White Women." Major Problems in American Women's History. Ed. Ruth M. Alexander and Mary Beth Norton. 4th ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.
The Sentiments of an American Women. Philadelphia 1780. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 146, Folder 3. Imprinted 3.; Evans 16992.
Sentiment - an attitude, thought, or judgement prompted by feeling.
Disposition - the tendency of something to act in a certain manner under given circumstances.
Manifested - to make evident or certain by showing or displaying.
Vain - having or showing undue or excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements.
Materials Needed:
- Student Packets printed back to back and stapled (1 per student)
- "The Sentiments of an American Woman" (Resource Sheet #01)
- "Ideas, Relative to the Manner of Forwarding to the American Soldiers, the Presents of the American Women" (Resource Sheet #02)
- "The Attempt is Praise" (Resource Sheet #03)
- "Written Document Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #04), 2 per student
- "A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina" (Resource Sheet #05), 1 per student
- "Cartoon Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #06), 1 per student
- "Social Studies Research Report" (Resource Sheet #07), 1 per student
- "Revolutionary Rubric" (Resource Sheet #08), 1 per student
Instructional Strategies Utilized:
- Response Groups - Students work in pairs to discuss critical-thinking questions about each of documents
- Historical Investigation - Student pairs interpret primary and secondary sources to formulate theories about the role of women in the Revolutionary War
- Reading Informational Text
- Students will utilize a graphic organizer to help them organize and analyze the text
- Writing for Understanding - Students will use a Fast-Write to show what they already know about the topic before reading and to demonstrate additional information they have learned after reading
- Writing for Understanding - Students will use a Social Studies Research Report as a prewriting planner to organize their persuasive essay.
Day One
Motivation:
Tell students the focus of this lesson is the way the public saw the role of women in the Revolutionary War. In their journals, have students free-write for five minutes what they know about this topic. Have students share their responses. Students may discuss that some women served as soldiers, some boycotted tea, and some participated in spinning bees, or they may have very limited background knowledge. Explain that students will be reading about a different way that women participated in the Revolutionary War and then looking at some ways that men responded to women's participation in the war effort.
Procedure:
- Explain that students will work in pairs to analyze and interpret documents about the role of women in the Revolutionary War. Tell students that they become historians by carefully analyzing sources from the past using the questions posed on the document analysis worksheet.
- Distribute documents (Resource Sheets #01, #02, #03) and four copies of the "Written Document Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #04) to student pairs (2 per student).
- Model analyzing the documents using a think-aloud to complete the "Written Document Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #04) with "The Sentiments of an American Woman" (Resource Sheet #01) with the class. During and after reading, periodically stop to summarize the main points of each section.
- (Reading Informational Text) Have student pairs read and analyze the remaining documents, recording their information on their "Written Document Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #04). Remind students to periodically pause and summarize what they have read.
- Review students' findings.
Have students share out their findings for each document. Facilitate a lively class discussion on the following questions:
- What did the "Sentiments of an American Women" propose women do to help the war effort?
- Who was the intended audience? How can you tell?
- What does the remembrance from a citizen of Boston tell you about the role of women in the war effort?
- What does the soldier's poem tell you about the soldier's response to women helping with the war effort?
- Why do you think people would have reacted different?
De-brief:
Have students synthesize information they have learned by analyzing a political cartoon. Teacher will facilitate the discussion by using "A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina" (Resource Sheet #05) and have students complete the "Cartoon Analysis Worksheet" (Resource Sheet #06). The teacher will review students' findings and ask, "What does the political cartoon tell you about the creator's view of women?"
Day Two
Motivation:
Review the documents students looked at during the previous class. Have students discuss the following questions.
- Which documents were most helpful? What made them helpful?
- Which documents were least helpful? What made them less helpful?
Procedure:
- Explain that students will be writing a three-paragraph essay to answer the question, "How did the public view women's contributions to the Revolutionary War effort?"
- Distribute the "Social Studies Research Report" (Resource Sheet #07) to use as a pre-writing planner to help students organize their essay. Review the format and model completion of the organizer. Allow time for students to complete the organizer. Tell students their three supporting ideas must be based on facts they learned from the sources they studies.
- (Writing for Understanding) Allow time for students to write a three-paragraph essay that answers the question, "How did the public view women's contributions to the Revolutionary War effort?"
Students must take an affirmative or negative stance on the essay question and provide three supporting persuasive points using the primary and secondary sources they examined to explain their argument. This assignment may be continued as homework or on subsequent days, as needed.
De-brief:
Have students split into two teams: Those who believed women helped the Revolutionary War Effort and those who do not believe women helped the Revolutionary War Effort. Hold a mini debate between the two sides allowing students to share the arguments they used in their essays.
Thoughtful Application:
Have students write a reflective journal entry that poses the question, "What might have happened if women did not help the Revolutionary War Effort?" Encourage students to use information from their sources to support their answers.
Evaluation
- Observe participation in large and small group settings.
- Assess completion of document analysis worksheets.
- Evaluate the thoughtful application essay using the "Revolutionary Rubric" (Resource Sheet #08).
- Observe and record student responses.
Extension:
- Have student research individual women who helped the Revolutionary War effort and create a living statue based off their individual.
Reed, Esther. The Sentiments of an American Woman. Broadside. Philadelphia, 1780. From Library of Congress, An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/rbpebib:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28rbpe+14600300%29%29 (accessed January 10, 2011).
In this broadside, believed to have been written by Esther Reed, the intention was to raise the morale of American women to help the Patriotic cause. She encouraged women to raise funds for the soldiers. While broadsides are traditionally printed on one side only, The Sentiments of an American Woman is printed with an addendum document on the reverse side. This addendum entitled, Ideas, relative to the manner of forwarding to the American Soldier, the Presents of the American Women, called for a "Treasuress" in each county who would collect money and present it to General Washington. The women expressed their wish that the funds not be used to supply food, arms, or clothing as these were to be supplied by the army. Their wish was that the money would be an "extraordinary bounty" for the soldiers. Students will analyze this document to determine the role of women in the Revolutionary War.
The Maryland Gazette. "The Attempt is Praise." January 5, 1781. From Maryland State Archives, Maryland Gazette Collection, 1779-1787. http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001283/html/m1283-0220.html (accessed January 10, 2011).
"The Attempt is Praise" is a poem that was written by an anonymous soldier. The poem does just what the title suggests, to flatter the work done by women during the war. The poet described the women as "mirrors of virtue," who inspired virtue in men. The author points out that the women that helped were of great assets, and the rest of his text asserts that the war would not be won if it had not been for their efforts. Students will analyze this document to determine the response of a soldier to women helping with the Revolutionary War effort.
Dawes, Philip. A Society of Patriotic Ladies, at Edenton in North Carolina. Cartoon. London: Robert Sayer and John Bennett, March 25, 1775. From Library of Congress, British Cartoon Print Collection. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ppmsca.19468/ (accessed January 10, 2011).
In the South, groups of women boycotted more than just tea as they aligned themselves against non-importation policies. Fifty-one female North Carolinians signed the Edenton Ladies' Tea Party agreement in October 1774. American women had never before taken on the responsibility of a public role. This marked a turning point in American women's political perceptions in which they would eventually see themselves as participants. The meeting, however, amused most men. This led to the satirical drawing of the ladies by the Englishman Arthur Iredell after he read about it in the newspaper. Students will analyze this document to determine the view that some men had towards women's involvement in the war effort.
