Editing American Revolution (section)

===Status of American women===
{{main|History of women in the United States}}
The status of women during the Revolutionary War can be illustrated by the interchange of gender, sexuality, citizenship, and class. While women were entering a period in which they found themselves gaining more identity within society, it was clear that they were still very much considered under men as their role in society remained being a good wife and mother. Their clothes, the way they responded to their husband, and listened to their husband, was incredibly important in the social sphere. Having a woman who was dressed well for her role as a good wife and mother as well as fitting the social role, was a symbol of not only status, but a family devoted to the republic. As they continued to nurture social and political partnerships, their role in enabling the success of the revolution emphasized their changing role in society – leading to the post-revolutionary reconstruction of gender ideology.

In addition, the democratic ideals of the Revolution inspired changes in the roles of women.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=1922356|title=Beyond Roles, Beyond Spheres: Thinking about Gender in the Early Republic|journal=The William and Mary Quarterly|volume=46|issue=3|pages=565–585|last1=Kerber|first1=Linda K.|last2=Cott|first2=Nancy F.|last3=Gross|first3=Robert|last4=Hunt|first4=Lynn|last5=Smith-Rosenberg|first5=Carroll|last6=Stansell|first6=Christine M.|author6-link=Christine Stansell|year=1989|doi=10.2307/1922356}}</ref> Patriot women married to Loyalists who left the state could get a divorce and obtain control of the ex-husband's property.<ref>Mary Beth Norton, ''Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750–1800'' (3rd ed. 1996)</ref> [[Abigail Adams]] expressed to her husband, the president, the desire of women to have a place in the new republic: {{blockquote|I desire you would remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.<ref>{{cite book|author=Woody Holton|title=Abigail Adams|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ltgyHkFGF3EC&pg=PA172|year=2010|publisher=Simon and Schuster|page=172|isbn=978-1451607369}}</ref>
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As discussions rose regarding the rights of man post Revolutionary war, women began pushing a debate for the rights of women as well. One particular woman, Mary Wallstonecraft, would pioneer the discussion regarding women’s rights, and push those like Abigail Adams to begin expressing the desire to want a larger place in society. Wollstonecraft was an English writer, philosopher, and advocate for women’s rights, and would publish the ''Vindication of the Rights of Woman'' (1792) – challenging the idea that rights should only be granted to men. As one of the first major advocates and foundational figures for women’s rights and gender equality in a time where women were considered inferior to men, Wollstonecraft focused on equal education and social opportunities for women – believing that if women were educated the same as men, they would gain autonomy over their own lives and better contribute to society. Her radical ideas would give ground to the conversation in allowing women to be bearers of rights alongside men – that while the rights of man were taking on a new meaning post-revolutionary America, it was time for the rights of women too. Inspired by the radical feminism in her work, women in the early republic would change their views on marriage, education, participation in public life, and autonomy – pushing them to lay the groundwork for the later women’s suffrage movement, education opportunities, property rights, and more.

However, this new sense of independence and dignity did not come with ease, as a gender hierarchy would continue to bind what it meant for women to have rights during the post-revolutionary era. Women in the early republic had many limitations – they could not vote, hold political office, earn fair wages, lacked opportunities for higher education and certain professions, and most importantly, own property independently of their husbands. In addition, they held little legal powers in subjects such as divorce, property rights, and child custody. A central legal concept that reinforced these restrictions was ''coverture'', a central legal doctrine that limited women’s lives in all aspects – making a woman’s legal identity a part of their husband’s and essentially making them subordinates. The denial of things like property rights to women through coverture would play an important role in why they were denied many other rights, as property was a symbol of individual liberty and empowerment during the post-revolutionary era.

So while women would eventually begin gaining new rights such as increased access to education and limited property and voting rights – much of their lives still depended on men.  This stark contrast of men’s versus women’s rights comes from the deeply established gender roles from philosophical theories like the Scottish Theory –  stating that the rights of women were simply benefits in life. The emphasis of women’s rights was on duty and obligation, instead of liberty and choice – confining women to the traditional role of wife and mother. On the other hand, men’s rights were heavily inspired by Locke, as it emphasized equality, individual autonomy, and the expansion of personal freedoms. This is evident in their rights to property, participation in government, and autonomy. So while women were becoming bearers of rights, the foundation and philosophy of those given rights differed vastly and continued to stay limited.

The early national period of America would continue to struggle with the concept of rights and equality, as women also faced the notion that women should be under the dominance of men – carried by a resurgence of Christian beliefs. Women were blamed for the “Fall of Man”, in reference to Eve and Adam in the Bible.  So while women were beginning to bear rights, the type of language that was being used when talking about the rights of women was done with care and hesitance. This Christian worldview has viewed women as inferior to men long before the early republic, however it is important to note the influence it would continue to place onto their rights as they began to oppose traditional gender roles. 

It is also important to note that for more than thirty years, however, the 1776 [[New Jersey State Constitution]] gave the vote to "all inhabitants" who had a certain level of wealth, including unmarried women and blacks (not married women because they could not own property separately from their husbands), until in 1807, when that state legislature passed a bill interpreting the constitution to mean universal ''white male'' [[suffrage]], excluding paupers.<ref>Klinghoffer and Elkis ("The Petticoat Electors: W omen's Suffrage in New Jersey, 1776–1807", ''Journal of the Early Republic'' 12, no. 2 (1992): 159–193.)</ref>