Why Women Were Separated by Sex Essay Example

Introduction

In the 19th century, gender was the primary determinant of power, work, and it cut across both in the social and political settings. This ideology and cultural concept resulted in discrimination of women based on sex whereby women were not allowed to contribute to any political or social decisions. Instead, they were expected and entrusted with the domestic duties where they could follow orders dispensed by men then (Norton 140-145).

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There is considerable debate among scholars on what could have been the primary cause of separation of women by sex in the 19th century. Segregation was the beginning of recognition of anatomical differences between men and women, history dictates otherwise. It was a way of appreciating the anatomical differences between men and women cite the differences in human biological needs as requisites for separating male and female. Thus, both male and female have different needs as far as privacy is concerned thus calling for public facilities that can cater for both men and women (Norton 130) Though different requirements between the genders has been propagated to explain separatism, a survey of the preceding events before the separation rules indicate otherwise.

The laws demanding separation of workplace toilets in the places of work was based on separate spheres which existed between men and women. During the 19th century, men and women lived in two different worlds in terms of opportunities. Women were perceived to be weaker beings that could not compete with men. (Norton 94-130) further illustrates that 19th-century ideologies assumed that woman proper place was the chicken to prepare the hearth fire and to rear children. Towards the end of the 19th century, the separation theory had been perpetuated even in the realist movement, sanitation movement, and the public health debate. The vision of modesty which was gaining popularity especially in the Victorian society also demanded separate restrooms for women and men. Most interestingly, the idea of separating women and men's washrooms were anchored in the right womanhood movement; an idea that advocated for recognition of true womanhood. The right womanhood movement required women to be pure, virtuous and protected within the walls of the domestic confinements.

Changes in the Role of Women in Politics

In the early years of the beginning century, the role of women was to cook and be a good mother. Many rural families in 19th century America lived in rural areas and the families composed of the larger nuclear family. Women were expected to provide free manual labor to sustain family income. Women had few legal, political or social rights which are synonymous with the modern woman. With the onset of the world war, however, the demand for workers in America was so high that the available men could not fill the positions. Organizations and companies started recruiting women to fill the roles previously occupied by men. Women gained entry-level jobs and continued with the push to attain gender equality in America.

Before the events that led to World War I, The role of women did not require education since women were homemakers. The only salaried jobs that existed for women were to work as maidservants in wealthy families. The maidservants' job required women to apply the same level of ethics involved in their own homes. With world 1 in the 19th century, many men were carried away in ships to fight to leave women behind. The situation in homes demanded women to step up and take the roles of nurses to take care of the wounded soldiers who returned home. Women also had to take the mantle and lead factories as men were in the battlefields. The industrial revolution further helped women to rise in social status as more workers were required. Women were able to champion for their rights while working and expand to the new political level

The internal enemy thesis by Taylor

According to Allan Tailor, when the war of 1812 started, Virginia anticipated that they would have an external enemy which was the British emperor (Taylor 15-18). By then, the British emperor was the dominant naval power in the world. Furthermore, Virginia felt vulnerable not only to the external enemy but also feared an internal enemy, referring to the Americans who by then constituted approximately 40% of the country's population. The blacks feared that the Americans would form alliances with the British Emperor. In his arguments, Allan Taylor notes that the Americans in Virginia equated the enslavement of the blacks to their freedom. This meant that the wealthy citizens of Virginia would replace their white servants with black slaves. Chance and freedom for whites in Virginia, therefore, was entirely at the mercy of the enslavement of blacks. This system of democracy to the whites intensified the attachment to the slavery of the blacks by whites in Virginia (Taylor100).

Allan Taylor, in his argument, strikes this case as internal conflict, with the aftermath of the invasion by the British in 1813. With many planters in Virginia referring to the black Americans working for them as internal enemies. The British arrival also comes with the freedom recognition from black refugees, this was met by hostility as the government could not protect the slaveholders' interest. The British were majorly concerned with southern black who assisted them in navigation, this later changed as Chesapeake runaway families come together. The uprising was against the French in 1803 by the British saw a shift in gears as commanders had to reorganize their battlefield, who better to assist than the blacks and this time they would be fighting against their latter masters. This was seen as payback by many officers to Americans for assisting defectors (Taylor, 103). This civil war saw Virginians recognize they were between a rock and a hard place as they were challenged by external enemies and internal enemies who would eventually work against them.

The life of slaves in Virginia in the eighteenth century

The work of slaves in Virginia included working in plantations, laundry, gardening and rearing children for the women while the men parked produce from the farms as well as farming and doing repairs. Since the small farmers only worked with and owned a few slaves, most of the slaves could not find wives or husbands to marry. Most of the slaves did not have families nearby since slavery had separated most of them, therefore, forcing them to go live and work at different places. The slaves in small farms spent their nights in the kitchens or outbuildings while those who were enslaved in big farms had slave quarters allocated to them. This was a considerably far distance from the master's house but under close and strict supervision. During holidays or weekends for instance charismas, the salves had an opportunity to spend time attending to their needs such as cleaning their compounds and other household chores, also within the vicinity and under a sharp eye.

The slaves in the big farms had an opportunity to learn how to read and write, though on their own. On the contrary, those working in small farms had fewer opportunities to do the same. Limited free time for slaves would be occupied by music and storytelling. The religious aspect of their lives was probably the single most encouraging element of their lives because it reminded them that their life had dignity and meaning.

The best adjectives I can use to describe slave trade in Virginia would be harsh, hard and stupid. Sharp because from the way the slaves lived in Virginia, it is clear that they existed under deplorable conditions. Slow because the masters indicate an apparent lack of consideration since they do not even let the slaves have enough time for socialization. Also, the circumstances in which they are existing were a vast contrast from the life their masters are living. Hard because the slaves enjoyed no freedom and no rewards.

The impact of the revolution on slavery in Virginia

The American Revolution was a period between 1765 and 1783. The period is characterized by thirteen of the current American states including Virginia gaining their independence from Great Britain (Taylor 18-23). The period brought about changes which were instrumental in the abolishing of slavery in Virginia. Were it not for the American Revolution, the emancipation of slaves would have been significantly delayed. Some of the implications of the revolution include: The coming up of Republican governments. During the American Revolution, colonies adopted state constitutions which embodied bills of rights. With this, a new era which emphasized equality to all citizens of the various states was established thus fueling the fight for freedom against slavery in Virginia.

Taylor explains that one of the main implications of the revolution was that there was a more profound attachment to slavery in Virginia. For instance, leaders in Virginia abolished the titled practice of leaving wealth in the form of estates and plantations to their eldest sons to avoid the wealth from getting owned by other citizens not within the families the estates and plantations belonged to. The result of the abolishment of this system was the dispersion of wealth among the whites as well as the wealth in the form of farms and estates. Therefore, the freedom and economic development of Virginia ultimately became dependent more and more on black slavery (Taylor 15-18).

How the fear by master and rebellion by slaves impacted on slavery in Virginia

Slaves did not just accept their fate. The masters were therefore regularly graced by rebellion from their slaves, and this necessitated the need for the establishment of slave codes which could guide relations between a slave and a master. These laws passed in the agreement between colonies. After Lord Dunmore's proclamation to save slaves not because he was antislavery but because he needed men to fight a war, the black Americans saved best for vengeance. After the war, many black Americans died from smallpox and others rescued by the British. To curb this the slaves captured by patriots some were whipped, murdered and heads hanged on crossroads to serve as a warning, some sent to lead mines in sand castle western Virginia and a few sold to the west indies.

The entailment ensured the inherit of property for family members especially the eldest son alongside the slaves that come with it, making it illegal to sell slaves this fell under the aristocratic tradition. However, in the mid-1800s, the entailment is broken slowly by the consequent subdivision of land and slaves between family members who are later sold off to Virginians in order to improve their farms. This legal revolutions meant to create equality among white men, in turn, has negatives impacts on African Americans whose families are constantly being ruptured into new areas.