American History

Men considered women inferior to them in the areas of intelligence and strength. Women had very few career options available to them in the nineteenth century.  Motherhood and wifehood were the two most favorable options.  The wives of slave owners were pampered. They didnt have to cook or clean.  The Civil War was a turning point for many lives. Despite the fact that women did not have voting rights, vast job opportunities, or citizenship, they had very important roles during the Civil War era.

During the four-year-long Civil War, women went out of their way to support their husbands, even if it meant disguising herself as a man to fight in the cavalry.  Since women were not allowed to fight on either side, those that did fight in the Civil War, like Amy Clark, had to use a masculine name.  Fighting in a war was not a lap of luxury. Every soldier risked his (or her) life each time he entered battle.  He saw his fellow soldiers lose their appendages if not their lives.  These women that fought were not afraid of the consequences.

Many filmmakers have made spy movies over the decades.  Although being a spy is somewhat glamorous in the movies, it is a very dangerous job.  However, women spies in the Civil War era used their feminine wiles to their advantage with the gullible men.  Belle Boyd was very flirtatious, charming, and quick-witted.  They used what they had to get the information that they wanted. They dont sound weak or intellectually inferior at all.

Although rewarding, being a nurse is hard, grueling work.  Today, a woman needs a college degree and training to be a nurse.  During the Civil War, the only requirements were to be unattractive, have the desire, be over thirty years old, willing to wear a uniform, and have an interview with the Superintendent of Nurses.  Im sure that there were many women that met those requirements.  Those that didnt meet them could probably qualify as spies.  Why not use your beauty to help your fellow man  However, if your looks were not your most striking asset, tending to the sick was the best option.  The only downside was that some nurses worked themselves to death(literally.

Following the Civil War, women abolitionists hoped that women would be granted citizenship and voting rights.  However, the 14th and 15th Amendments only granted those rights to blacks after the abolition of slavery.  Still, you could not overlook the women spies, nurses, and cavalrywomen that contributed to the war effort.  Weak women did not fight in combat nor would they volunteer to be spies.  If a man was more intellectual, how was it that a beautiful woman could outsmart him  As it has been previously mentioned, women are very capable of motherhood and wifehood.  However, they can also successful do the unthinkable tasks.