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Social, Religious, and Economic Status of Women in Colonial Days As Shown in the Writings of That Period

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Social, Religious, and Economic Status of Women in Colonial Days As Shown in the Writings of That Period University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1915 Social, religious, and economic status of women in Colonial days as shown in the writings of that period Sylvia M. Brady The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Brady, Sylvia M., "Social, religious, and economic status of women in Colonial days as shown in the writings of that period" (1915). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 3600. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/3600 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS, AND BCOîOMIC STATUS OF WOMM IN COLONIAL DAIS AS SHOWN IN THE WRITINGS OF THAT PERIOD Submitted as a Partial Requirement for the Master of Arts Degree (1912) SYLVIA M. BRADY. (Typed from copy of thesis in Montana State University Library) UMI Number; EP36353 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT DkKMMlation RiMtsMng UMI EP36353 Published by ProQuest LLC (2012). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest* ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 , BIBLIOGRAPHY PRBWUgSŒmÇES Adams, Abigail: Letters Adams, J. Q«: Writings Alsop, George: A Character of the province of Maryland Beverley: History and Present State of Virginia Bradford: History of Plymouth Plantation Bradstreet, Anne: (Old South Leaflets) Buckingham: Reminiscences Byrd: Westover Manuscripts Cable: Strange True Stories of Louisiana Cairns: Early American Writings Edwards, Jonathan: Sermons English Garner Firth: Stuart Tracts Fiske: Colonial Documents of New York Founding of Harvard College: (Old South Leaflets) Grant: Memoirs of an American Lady Hammond, John: Leah and Rachel Hooker: Way of the Churches of New England (Old South Leaflets) Jefferson: Writings (Ed. by Ford) Lawson: History of Carolina library of Southern Literature Masefield: Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers Narratives of Early Maryland. Mew England's First Fruits, (Old South Leaflets). Original Narratives of Early American History. Pync hon: Diary. Records of the Virginia Company. Robertson: Louisiana under Spain, France, and the United States. Sewall, Samuel: %ary. Sn^'th: Writings of Benjamin Franklin. Stith, William; History of First Settlement in Virginia. Trent, W. P.: Pioneer Literature, Colonial Literature, and Revolutionary Literature Trent, W. P.: Southern Writers. Winthrop: History of New England. Williams: Ballads of American Revolution. Soolman, John: Journal. SECONDARY SOURCES Andrews: The Colonial Period, Allen: Woman's Part in Government. Anthbny, S. B.: Past, Present and Future Status of Woman. Avery; History of the United States. Beach: Daughters of the Puritans. Beard; Readings in American Government. Bliss: %.de Lights from the Colonial Meeting-house. Brooks: Dames and Daughters of Colonial Days. Brown: History of Maryland. Brown: Mercy Warren; Bruce: Economic Forces in Virginia in the seventeenth Century. Bruce: Institutional History of Virginia in the Seventeenth Century. Campbell: Puritans in Holland, England, and America. Cairns: American Literature. Coffin: Old Times in the Colonies, Cooke: Virginia. Crawford: Romantic Days in the Early Republic. Drake: 8. Adams: New England Legends. Draper: American Education. Duycki.nck; Cvclonaedia of American Literature. Earle: Child Life in Colonial Days, Earle: Colonial Days in Old New York, Earle: Customs and i'lanners of Colonial Days, Earle; Home Life in Colonial Days, Earle; Margaret Winthrop. Fisher: Men, Women, & Manners in Colonial Times. Fiske} Dutch and Quaker Colonies. Fiske: Old Virginia and Her Neighbors. Freeze: Historic Homes and Soots in Cambridge. Goodwin: Dolly Madison. Griswold; Prose Writings of Amieiica, Hart; American Nation Series, HoUiday: Literature of Colonial Virginia, Holliday: History of Southern Literature. Holliday; Three Centuries of Southern Poetry, Holliday: The Wit and Humor of Colonial Days. Howard; History of Matrimonial Institutions, Hunrohreys: Catherine Schuyler. Johns Hopkins Studies. Monroe: Cyclopedia of Education. Nichol: American Literature. Onderdonck: History of American Verse, Otis: American Verse. Pryor: Mother of Washington, and Her Times. Havenel: Eliza Pinckney. Richardson: -American Literature. Sears: American Literature in its Colonial and National Periods* Schrimacher: Modern Woman's %ght8. Simons: Social Forces in American History. Stockton: Stories of New Jersey. Stedman: American Antholo^. Stedman & Hutchinson: Library of American Literature. Tyler: American Literature in the Colonial Period. Uurtenbaker: ^ireinia Under Stuarts. Vanderdonck: New Netherlands. Van Rensselaer: Good Vrouw of Man-ha-ta. Weeden: Social and Economic History of New England: Wendell: American Literature. Wharton: Martha Washington, (Women of Colonial Times). Wharton: Through Colonial Doorways. Wright: Industrial Evolution in the U. S. In attempting to give a true picture of the con­ dition of women in Colonial days it has been found necessary to treat the sub.iect not as a whole, but under various div­ isions; viz., religion, education, the home, dress, social and marriage. Because of the difference in economic con­ ditions, the influence of climate, soil, etc., the attitude toward religion, education, and the state, it is iirroossible to discuss as a whole, the position of the women in all the colonies. But the above factors developed several forms of government and types of living. Hence, the women of New England and Virginia could not be treated under one div­ ision, but must be discussed from entirely different view points. Thus, the women of New York, New England, the Middle Colonies, Virginia, and Louisiana have been considered under the four subjects noted above. The quotations for the most part have been taken from such writings as letters, diaries, newspapers, books, essays, poems and sermons. In a few instances in discussing the laws controlling marriage, divorce, adultery, etc., the records and statutes have been consulted, but only where it was impossible to secure the desired information from any other source. An attempt has been made in this work to present a true picture of the life of the Colonial woman* However, it has not been the intent to portray a complete picture) certain phases have been, perhaps, unduly emphasized, while others, equally important, have been only mentioned. This is due to the difficulty in securing source material, and the nature of the discussion, since, to treat the subject in com­ plete and finished form, would require a much longer discourse. In this study of the Colonial woman we shall find her not unlike her sister of the present century. The same "eternal feminine" note is here, as would be found in a study of the women of any age or c ountry. And yet, while there are many similarities, there are maked differences. 1 For the purpose of securing the adequate view point let us recall that the colonies were olanted during the sev­ enteenth century, Georgia being the only founded in the eight­ eenth, in 1732. This was the century of Milton, Dryden, and Bunyan, The greater number of the colonies were established under the Stuarts. This was the century also of the Protectorate, the rise and fall of the Puritans, the Revolution of 1688 in England, the terrible Thirty Tears' War in Germany, and the long reign of the "Grand Monarch" in France. The seventeenth century was one of adventure. The discovery of the new world and the defeat of the Armada pre­ vious to this century had now made England the greatest sea power. Tales of a wealth like that of Croesus came from the sailors who had seen the new world. The neople were open- mouthed with wonder, ready to believe anything. It seemed the place that offered wealth, freedom — both religious and pol­ itical — a home for the poor, the wretched — in truth a place for any who longed to begin life anew. It was at such a time that the colonies were settled; the century that had seen the wonderful reign of "Good Queen Bess", was Just drawing to a close. Shakespeare was at the height of his career in 160? when Jamestown was settled, and had been dead but four years when the puritans landed at Plymouth. It was amid such influences that puritan and cavalier sought the new world, hoping to find there that which he had been unable to find in the old. While the Cavalier colony of Jamestown was the oldest from the stand-point of years, it is with the Puritans that we shall begin this discussion. The latter exerted such a tremen- duous influence on American history and literature that we mgy expect to find the Puritan woman with considerable power. We have not time to dwell on the hardships of the voyage and the early settlement; they were beyond belief. Sickness and famine was the common happening. This was especially true of the early years of the colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia. Their sufferings were intense, as they were the pioneers,; while the others suffered also, yet as iiie colonies in the middle and later part of the century were established, some of the raw­ ness and newness had worn off, and if the sufferings were as - 3 - intense, the enphasis is not nlaced on them, as in the older colonies. Prince in his "Annals of New England" published in 1736 says of the colony at Plymouth, the following spring after the settlement records: "March 2h* N.
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