American history

History of women

This is a history of feminism and the role of women throughout the history of the United States.

The experiences of women during the colonial era varied greatly from colony to colony.

In New England, the Puritan settlers brought their strong religious values with them to the New World, which dictated that the wife be subordinate to her husband and dedicate herself to rearing God-fearing children to the best of her ability.

In the early Chesapeake colonies, very few women were present. Much of the population consisted of young, single, white indentured servants, and as such the colonies to a large degree lacked any social cohesiveness.

Much later on in the colonial experience, as the values of the Enlightenment were imported from Britain, the philosophies of such thinkers as John Locke weakened the view that husbands were natural "rulers" over their wives and replacing it with a (slightly) more liberal conception of marriage.

Women also lost most control of their property when marrying. Even single women could not sue or be sued, or make contracts, and divorce was almost impossible until the late eighteenth century.