As “Daughters of Liberty,” women had been actively involved since the beginning of the struggle for American rights. During the war, women ran farms and business and held families together while their husbands, fathers, and brothers served with the military. The revolutionary rhetoric of human equality and rights raised questions about the legal and social status of women. Despite this, the lives of women changed little in the new United States.

While most women tended the home fires during the war for independence, some shared the life of the army. A very few took part in battle. One who did was Molly Pitcher, who earned her nickname by carrying muchneeded pitchers of water to artillerymen at the Battle of Monmouth. When her husband was overcome at his gun, she took his place. Most women with the army were camp followers who traveled with their husbands. Washington and many of his officers resented the presence of these women and regarded them as a nuisance, but the authorities did not banish the women because they feared many soldiers would leave with their wives. These women also performed many necessary tasks, such as nursing the wounded, cleaning and repairing uniforms, and preparing food.

The service of the camp followers was a migratory extension of the domestic role played by most women at home. Under colonial law, the husband was the head of the family. An unmarried woman could own, buy, and sell property. Once she married, her husband had complete control of their joint property. He also had legal responsibility for their children. It was virtually impossible for a woman to obtain a divorce. The law did not change a great deal after the revolution.

Women did not have any political voice in colonial America. Most men were little inclined to share political power with women after independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “the tender breasts of ladies were not formed for political convulsion.” Women did get the vote in New Jersey on a technicality. The 1776 New Jersey constitution did not specify the sex of those eligible for the franchise. Women who met the property qualifications were able to vote in New Jersey until they were explicitly denied that right in 1807.

Some women chafed under the restrictions placed on them. A movement began to improve the education of women to give them more means to support themselves. In 1779, Judith Sargent Murray wrote an essay on “The Equality of the Sexes,” which promoted female education and argued that women stood to benefit just as much as men from higher learning.

The struggle and sacrifice of the war and the emphasis on republican virtue did lead to a greater appreciation for the women who upheld the family and home. Mothers were seen as the first and essential nurturers of good citizens. This led to the celebration of republican motherhood. This civic mission helped legitimize the calls for educating women, because this would better fit them to shape the citizens of the future.