Women and freedom in early America

"It is virtually impossible to generalize about the degree to which women in early America were free. What, if anything, did enslaved black women in the South have in common with powerful female leaders in Iroquois society? Were female tavern keepers in the backcountry of North Carolina any more free than nuns and sisters in New France religious orders? Were the restrictions placed on widows and abandoned wives at all comparable to those experienced by autonomous women or spinsters? Bringing to light the enormous diversity of women's experience, Women and Freedom in Early America centers variously on European-American, African-American, and Native American women from 1400 to 1800. Spanning almost half a millenium, the book ranges the colonial terrain, from New France and the Iroquois Nations down through the mainland British-American colonies. By drawing on a wide array of sources, including church and court records, correspondence, journals, poetry, and newspapers, these essays examine Puritan political writings, white perceptions of Indian women, Quaker spinsterhood, and African and Iroquois mythology, among many other topics."--Google Books viewed May 26, 2021 Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page xi) Introduction: A Remarkable Diversity (page 1) PART I: RACE, ETHNICITY, AND GENDER (page 5) 1 Gender and the Longhouse: Iroquois Women in a Changing Culture (GRETCHEN L. GREEN, page 7) 2 Women of the New France Noblesse (JAN V. NOEL, page 26) 3 Princesses, Wives, and Wenches: White Perceptions of Southeastern Indian Women to 1770 (EIRLYS M. BARKER, page 44) 4 Freedom among African Women Servants and Slaves in the Seventeenth-Century British Colonies (LILLIAN ASHCRAFT-EASON, page 62) PART II: RELIGION (page 81) 5 "My Dear Liberty": Quaker Spinsterhood and Female Autonomy in Eighteenth-Century Pennsylvania (KARIN A. WULF, page 83) 6 Women, Religion, and Freedom in New France (TERRENCE A. CROWLEY, page 109) 7 Wise Virgins and Pious Mothers: Spiritual Community among Baptist Women of the Delaware Valley (JANET MOORE LINDMAN, page 127) PART III: WORK AND THE COLONIAL ECONOMY (page 145) 8 "What Providence Has Brought Them to Be": Widows, Work, and the Print Culture of Colonial Charleston (MARTHA J. KING, page 147) 9 "To Have a Sufficient Maintenance": Women and the Economics of Freedom in Frontier Pennsylvania, 1750-1800 (JUDITH A. RIDNER, page 167) 10 Women and Economic Freedom in the North Carolina Backcountry (JOHANNA MILLER LEWIS, page 191) PART IV: MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY (page 209) 11 "Whers Gone to She knows Not": Desertion and Widowhood in Early Pennsylvania (MERRIL D. SMITH, page 211) 12 The Marriage and Metaphor in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts (ELIZABETH DALE, page 229) 13 "If Widow, Both Housewife and Husband May Be": Widows' Testamentary Freedom in Colonial Massachusetts and Maryland (VIVIAN BRUCE CONGER, page 244) PART V: SOCIETY AND THE COURTS (page 267) 14 Women of "No Particular Home": Town Leaders and Female Transients in Rhode Island, 1750-1800 (RUTH WALLIS HERNDON, page 269) 15 The Free Women of Charles Parish, York County, Virginia, 1630-1740 (JULIE RICHTER, page 290) 16 Mitigating Inequality: Women and Justice in Colonial New York (DEBORAH A. ROSEN, page 313) Selected Bibliography (page 331) Contributors (page 347) Index (page 351) Part I : Race, Ethnicity, And Gender -- Gender And The Longhouse : Iroquois Women In A Changing Culture / Gretchen L. Green -- Women Of The New France Noblesse / Jan V. Noel -- Princesses, Wives, And Wenches : White Perceptions Of Southeastern Indian Women In 1770 / Eirlys M. Barker -- Freedom Among African Women Servants And Slaves In The Seventeenth-century British Colonies / Lillian Ashcraft-eason -- Part Ii : Religion -- My Dear Liberty : Quaker Spinsterhood And Female Autonomy In Eighteenth-century Pennsylvania / Karin A. Wulf -- Women, Religion, And Freedom In New France / Terrence A. Crowley -- Wise Virgins And Pious Mothers : Spiritual Community Among Baptist Women Of The Delaware Valley / Janet More Lindman -- Part Iii : Work And The Colonial Economy -- What Providence Has Brought Them To Be : Widows, Work, And The Print Culture Of Colonial Charleston -- To Have A Sufficient Maintenance : Women And The Economics Of Freedom In Frontier Pennsylvania, 1750-1800 / Judith A. Ridner -- Women And Economic Freedom In The North Carolina Backcountry / Johanna Miller Lewis -- Part Iv : Marriage And The Family -- Whers Gone To She Knows Not : Desertion And Widowhood In Early Pennsylvania / Merril D. Smith -- The Marriage Metaphor In Seventeenth-century Massachusetts / Elizabeth Dale -- If Widow, Both Housewife And Husband May Be : Widows' Testamentary Freedom In Colonial Massachusetts And Maryland / Vivian Bruce Conger -- Part V : Society And The Courts -- Women Of No Particular Home : Town Leaders And Female Transients In Rhode Island, 1750-1800 / Ruth Wallis Herndon -- The Free Women Of Charles Parish, York County, Virginia, 1630-1740 / Julie Richter -- Mitigating Inequality : Women And Justice In Colonial New York / Deborah A. Rosen. Edited By Larry D. Eldridge. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 331-346) And Index. Annotation It is virtually impossible to generalize about the degree to which women in early America were free. What, if anything, did enslaved black women in the South have in common with powerful female leaders in Iroquois society? Were female tavern keepers in the backcountry of North Carolina any more free than nuns and sisters in New France religious orders? Were the restrictions placed on widows and abandoned wives at all comparable to those experienced by autonomous women or spinsters? Bringing to light the enormous diversity of women's experience, Women and Freedom in Early America centers variously on European-American, African-American, and Native American women from 1400 to 1800. Spanning almost half a millenium, the book ranges the colonial terrain, from New France and the Iroquois Nations down through the mainland British-American colonies. By drawing on a wide array of sources, including church and court records, correspondence, journals, poetry, and newspapers, these essays examine Puritan political writings, white perceptions of Indian women, Quaker spinsterhood, and African and Iroquois mythology, among many other topics.