The war effort and its repercussions demanded much of Virginia women. Many sent husbands off to war and assumed some if not all of the duties of running their family plantation, farm, or business. Homespun clothes became a mark of patriotism, and by 1777 Virginia women and their slaves were making much of the clothing used by families.
Women in somewhat better circumstances took more direct action to support or encourage the war effort. When Benjamin Franklin’s married daughter and other Philadelphia women formed a Ladies Association in 1780 to collect money to buy clothing for the Continental army, Martha Washington contacted Martha Jefferson, who in turn exhorted her friends to establish a similar institution in Virginia. They ran ads in the Virginia Gazette, collected money in a number of counties, and forwarded the funds to Mrs. Washington.
Finally, most women did everything in their power to encourage manly behavior on the part of their husbands, sweethearts, and lovers. All of these activities and experiences encouraged a number of white women, especially elite women, to imagine a larger public role for themselves and their daughters, but they would have to wait.
Further Reading
Cynthia Kierner, Beyond the Household: Women’s Place in the Early South, 1700-1835
This Vignette Provided By
John Kolp. Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: The History of Virginia, 1607-2007
On October 20 2009 jerome handler said: @ 9:29 am
Again, in his old-fashioned way of phrasing things, the author ignores or seems to forget that many women in Virginia were enslaved. He renders such women invisible in expressions such as \Virginia women and their slaves.\ When he says \Virginia women,\ he really means white women. jerome handler(Quote)
On October 20 2009 Jeanne said: @ 12:31 pm
I’m curious about the surely subtle differences between “husbands,” “sweethearts,” and “lovers” — especially in the colonial period. Jeanne(Quote)