Women in War - 843 Words

Women at War In the years before the Civil War, the lives of American women were shaped by a set of ideals that historians call â€Å"the Cult of True Womanhood.† As men’s work moved away from the home and into shops, offices and factories, the household became a new kind of place to private, feminized domestic sphere. â€Å"True women† devoted their lives to creating a clean, comfortable, nurturing home for their husbands and children. During the Civil War, American women turned their attention to the world outside the home. Thousands of women in the North and South joined volunteer brigades and signed up to work as nurses. It was the first time in American history that women played a significant role in a war effort. By the end of the war,†¦show more content†¦It also worked to provide relief to sick and wounded soldiers. By war’s end, the Sanitary Commission had provided almost $15 million in supplies--the vast majority of which had been collected by women--to the Union Army. Nearly 20,000 women worked more directly for the Union war effort. Working-class white women and free and enslaved African-American women worked as laundresses, cooks and â€Å"matrons,† and some 3,000 middle-class white women worked as nurses. The activist Dorothea Dix, the superintendent of Army nurses, put out a call for responsible, maternal volunteers who would not distract the troops or behave in unseemly or unfeminine ways: Dix insisted that her nurses be â€Å"past 30 years of age, healthy, plain almost to repulsion in dress and devoid of personal attractions.† (One of the most famous of these Union nurses was the writer Louisa May Alcott.) Army nurses traveled from hospital to hospital, providing â€Å"humane and efficient care for wounded, sick and dying soldiers.† They also acted as mothers and housekeepers--â€Å"havens in a heartless world†--for the soldiers under their care. Women of the Confederacy White women in the South threw themselves into the war effort with the same zeal as their Northern counterparts. The Confederacy had less money and fewer resources than did the Union, however, so they did much of their work on their own or through local auxiliaries and relief societies. They, too, cooked and sewed for their boys. TheyShow MoreRelatedThe Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation Essay583 Words   |  3 Pages There is little official data on female Vietnam War veterans, because the military mostly favored recording the achievements of men in the army. The Vietnam Womens Memorial Foundation estimate that approximately 11,000 women were stationed in Vietnam from 1962 to 1973. Only about ten percent of women served as soldiers. The ones who did were normally treated as second class soldiers; their role was perceived only as a helpmate instead of a soldier, and they were often put in dangerous situationsRead MoreThe Argument Against Women s Combat1122 Words   |  5 PagesDebu nking the Arguments Against Women in Combat There are many who would argue that allowing women, who are physically unprepared, to fight in combat would affect the cohesiveness and combat readiness of the units in which they serve. Government officials and military personnel are a just a few of the leaders behind this opposing argument. When asked about women in ground combat, President Bush summed up his position in four words, â€Å"No women in combat† (Curl and Scarborough A01). He supportedRead MoreThe Fear Of Women And Women In The War1123 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States entered the war with something to prove, and enough attitude behind them to make a difference. 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How did the war affect each group? â€Å"There were just shy of 400 documented cases of women who served as soldiers during the Civil War, according to the records of the Sanitary Commission.† (Brown, 2012) Women during the 19th century, according toRead MoreWomen Of The Civil War1720 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Civil War, it was erected to make sure the men would not have died in vain, and after reading it I could not help but to ask myself, â€Å"Are we to let the women?† Kids will learn of the Civil War starting in elementary school, and will continue to do so as far as their education leads them. They will learn of the brave men who fought for their beliefs and rights, brother who fought against brother, and the men who led these soldiers into battle. There is, however, one side of the Civil War which isRead MoreWomen Are The Victims Of War1481 Words   |  6 Pagesinequalities† (Pope Francis). 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She was responsible for cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children