Here it is.
The American Civil War was the impetus for change in the role of the Southern woman of the nineteenth century. The Antebellum woman was typically suppressed by the patriarchal society in which she lived. She was not expected to participate in the management of the plantation. The death of hundreds of thousands of men meant that women would be forced to compensate for their absence. The wives were faced with the challenge of overseeing the work of the plantation. A few women stepped even further from their expected roles to serve as spies, while a few dared to pose as men and fight in the battles. After the war was over, women had to rebuild their lives, many without the benefit of a husband. They faced a landscape in ruins, cities in disarray, crops destroyed, and many homes burnt down, in short, their lives totally in shambles. The War Between the States had spawned a change in the role of the Southern belle and her life would never be the same.
Tags: