Women in Early American Business

Although many historians have left out the roles of women in early American literature, it doesn't mean that they weren't there and weren't improving the life of Americans, the household economy, and capitalism. Recent women's research shows that their contributions to home life and business life in early America have been left out of many history texts. Truth be told, women did play an important part, not only in taking care of the next generation, but also taking care of their husbands, production, and selling of goods resulting from their industry, just to name a few. With this being said learning how women were important to the business of early America was intriguing and enlightening.

Women were vital to an economy where the majority of products people needed were created within the home. According to Jeanne Boydston, essay writer of The Woman Who Wasn't There: Women's Market Labor and the Transition to Capitalism in the United States, generally less extensive than men's work, women's paid labor and production for the market became important components of household adjustment during the changeover to a market economy (Boydston, 2006). This also translated on the home front where women were making a greater impact on the households' money, by earning wages in others homes by cooking, caring for children, spinning flax and wool, milking and churning (Boydston, 2006). A household economy for women meant more work. Not only did they have to produce for their own families, they would also have to make more in order to do business and trade with others in the community. As transportation became more readily available (made it possible to reach more people), and many women became widowed, their work became even more fundamental.

According to this week's readings capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are controlled by individuals rather than the government. There were few restrictions on trade and the goal of production was to create profit; to me this means that people become more comfortable with the idea of women working outside of the household. Homes started to become two income homes; women were now able to contribute more and this also affected the personal relationships between husband and wives. I feel that while the capitalist system has its flaws regarding women, ultimately it is a more advantageous system than the pre-industrial system. There was more individualism which I think was necessary for women to make their mark.

Women were involved in many aspects of business; only because it hasn't been properly documented, little know of their important and significant contributions.

Today, with the advancement of women's rights in America, women have been presented with opportunities that did not exist in early America. Even I am example, as I am an African American woman who is getting her Bachelor's degree in Communications; years ago this would deem impossible, but now it is normal and of America's everyday culture. Women may have been missed in history books, but now are coming to the forefront with determination.

References

Gilje, P. (2006). Wages of Independence: Capitalism in the Early American Republic.

Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.