Womens Roles During Times of War Essay -- American History Females Ro

Women's Roles During Times of War Despite the prevalence of war goddesses in most traditions from China to Greece to Ireland, women have been separated from the front lines of war for centuries. Western tradition claims that women are not made for war, but for household work: sewing, cleaning, cooking, and looking after children. Society told women to carry brooms in lieu of swords; to collect firewood instead of ammunition, and to keep house rather than protect a nation. Yet, for centuries, women have fought their peoples' wars, even if they never lifted a sword or fired a rifle. We rarely hear of these women, though, because they were not on the front line. The AAS Online Exhibitions claims, "The term "war hero" usually refers to a man who unselfishly risks his life to fight1." In many ways this is true. War heroes, especially of wars that were fought earlier than the twentieth century, are almost invariably men. In schools throughout the United States, primary school students learn the names of heroes of various American wars: George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and Robert E. Lee; but rarely do they learn about the women who helped these heroes: Molly Pitcher, Belle Boyd, and Elizabeth van Lew. Women learned to sacrifice their husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers for the same causes for which these men sacrificed their lives. The first United States war in which women fought was the American Revolution: the war that allowed their country to be formed. While their husbands cleaned their hunting rifles and readied their clothing, American women fought the British in their own way. The most prominent form of battle, especially in Boston and New England, was the boycott on tea. It sounds like a simple thing, boycotting... ..."Women of the American Revolution." http://ws.web.arizona.edu/ws200/fall97/grp11/part7.htm 4. "Molly Pitcher (Valley Forge Frequently Asked Questions)." Â © 1998 – 2004. http://www.ushistorty.org/valleyforge/youasked/070.htm 5. Zarro. "Women of the American Revolution." 6. Zarro. "Women of the American Revolution." 7. Zarro. "Women of the American Revolution." 8. Zarro. "Women of the American Revolution." 9. "AAS Online Exhibitions: A Woman's Work is Never Done." 10. "AAS Online Exhibitions: A Woman's Work is Never Done." 11. "Hearts at Home: Spies." Â © 1997. Cited 22 November 2004. 12. "Hearts at Home: Spies." 13. "Rose O'Neal Greenhow Papers." Â © May 1996. http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/greenhow 14. "Female Spies for the Union." http://womenshistory.about.com/library/misc/cw/bl_cw_spies_union.htm 15. "Female Spies for the Union."