Women of the Past

             We are going to travel through the lives of women in the 1800s. We will see, through these images, just a few the many jobs they could have. We will take a look at jobs in their homes, and also look at jobs they could have had outside of their houses.

                                                         Domestic Work

                  The website stated that “domestic jobs were done out of necessity rather than by choice” (AAS) .Sewing, weaving, knitting, and spinning would probably be some of the more popular jobs that also were very helpful. Jobs such as these could be used to provide clothing for the family, or they could also sell the things they would make to help raise money for their family. Sometimes women would not have a shop nearby so if they knew how to make their own clothing they would still be warm during the long winter months! Without proper clothing the men, especially up north, would not be able to stay out hunting long, without getting sick. So these simple jobs could do more than just make them look fancy it could also, help the provide food for the family. 

             "Sewing and spinning were often the primary responsibility of the daughters or other girls in the house"(AAS) however they were not the only ones to help with these tasks. One image shows, an older women spinning thread as the younger woman assists her. Women of all ages could help, both the older women and the younger are working together to spin thread. This was a great way to become closer to your family. Women could work together to make many things, as the older women, would probably share stories from their past lives. This was great for the older women who had a hard time walking because this is a way they could still contribute to the family and not just feel like they were being cared for. This 1856 lithograph of an old woman making thread is by L. H. Bradford. (AAS)

                                                         

                                               Teaching and Education

“In the years following the American Revolution, opportunities for schooling and education began to increase, resulting in a rise in literacy rates.” (AAS) Teaching was a job that appealed to many women.  It played an important role in the lives of women in the 1800s. Although many of the female teachers in the 1800s were unpaid, it was still an important job. They could educate a large number of children. An image on the website of “the first Infant Sabbath School” shows a woman standing in the middle of a small classroom reading a book to the children, who were crowed together on benches. A woman could stand in the classroom teaching children of many different ages, reading, writing, math and many other necessary skills.             

 Schools in the 1800s differ greatly from the schools of today! In the 1800s children of all ages were in a single room with a single teacher. The teacher would not teach individual grades but she would teach all the children at once.  The teacher would seat the children, not by age but rather by what book they were working in. The teacher would not begin their classes until sometime in November, so both the teacher and the students could collect their harvest. http://library.thinkquest.org

            Learning, could greatly improve the lives of children, as they got older.  They may not have enjoyed the crowded seating. However they would certainly be grateful for the knowledge they acquired, when it helped them get jobs, or simply helped them with their jobs at home. The impact was not only on the children in the classroom their knowledge would impact generations to come. They could use their knowledge to teach their children and so on.  

                                                                 Writing

                Writing served many purposes for women in the 1800s. They could betray their thoughts and believes in a diary. Writing could have a major impact on the way things were done and the way things were viewed. They could write books to teach other. Also you could simply have books for entertainment. 

            One famous women writer of the 1800s was Harriet Beecher Stowe. “Stowe began her career as a published author in 1843” (AAS). This picture is of Mrs Hariet Beecher Stowe at home. It shows Mis Hariet Beecher sitting at her desk, and starring at her flowers as she is writing a book. Mrs Stowe was a revolutionary writer of her time. She had a passion and just a love for all people. She used writing to help others feel the pain on the people in slavery. Even though she had never been a slave, her love for people led her to one of her famous books of the mid-1800s 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'. Her passion was great! She would sit at her house writing, at her little desk. Her dogs probably running around her feet, but still deep in thought. Yet her focus was not on gaining fame for herself, rather her goal was to put a burden in the hearts of people. Through writing she had achieved this goal. She, through writing, brought people to a greater love for each other, causing others to feel the pain she felt for the people in slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin could have even been a part of the reason for the Civil War. This is just one examples of what great impact writing can have on people’s lives.

            Now this should give you just a glance into the lives of women, and help you understand the important role they played in the past. Some of the roles they played included Domestic work, teaching and writing. However these are only a few of the many jobs they could have done.  http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Womanswork/intro.htm