Essay On The Effects Of The Civil War On African American Women

The Civil War disrupted many American lives. Improved technology and a lack of medical knowledge increased the amount of casualties during the war. It became necessary that women take on different roles to fill in for their husbands and sons who could not perform these tasks. During the war, women could become nurses and take on other jobs without as much hostility from society. Even in homes women 's roles expanded as they took on more responsibility. Women gained more freedoms but they still needed to fight for their rights and status in society. Slavery ended, which changed the roles and lives of many black women. They received more control over their lives, but they did not escape from racism and sexism. Society forced black women into “feminine” jobs and confined them to the typical role of a woman in a household. These women faced prejudices from both white men and women as their roles expanded in society. The Civil War …show more content…
Freed women could now work for wages instead of working without them, although they did not receive wages equal to men. They gained more options of choosing where and whom they worked for instead of their slaveholders deciding their fate. They typically found jobs in households and fields and worked about 1400 hours less in a year than they did as slaves (Flexner 121, Gray 180). More educated women became teachers, administrators, principals, doctors and nurses (Gray 172). African American women’s gender and race did not limit them to jobs the nation designated for them. Prejudices did not stop Charlotte E. Ray from became a lawyer, although she face too much opposition to stay in practice (Flexner 124). Black women slowly expanded into jobs previously unavailable to them which aided others in their struggle to equality and better careers. The Civil War allowed former slave women to work for wages and decide where and when they would work. It allowed many women to redefine themselves as