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Discovering Silenced Women In Early America Summary

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Discovering Silenced Women In Early America Summary
Discovering Silenced Women in Early America through Patriarchal Structures, Law, and Society

EXAM 1
February 27, 2013
Olivia DiFilippo

Throughout time, scholars have wanted to understand American women’s history. Gender has played a role in shaping the behaviors and ideas within societies. The gender role that women played can be looked at in a historically specific manner. In the early 1500s through the late-nineteenth century, women have had a silenced place in society and within their home. This ideology silences real women’s voices under patriarchal structures. In the time period of Early America, women were silenced through various factors such as the laws and ideas created within marriage, views of women given by society, and …show more content…
The author wanted us to see how even a minister wanted to police what women did within their home and marriage. She approached the minister and said that what she did was in prayer and was between her and God. He had come to put down her rebellion, but she easily defeats this "pathetic" fellow, whose "youthful confidence had cooled [and who now] had to scourge himself up to some of his pastoral duties as relentlessly as a Catholic ascetic, and then he was prostrated by the smart". She didn’t care what he thought about her. He was more concerned about what Sarah’s husband was going to think of her over what the Lord thought of it. It didn’t matter that Sarah explained that she thought she was doing things right in the Lord’s eyes. The minister brushed off her comments and still criticized her actions anyway. Religion plays a part in this role because of how close the family is linked to the minister. If he were to come by and speak to Sarah personally, the families loyalty to religion had to of been strong. Now confronted by her own minister, Sarah Penn is silenced not only by her marriage and society, but now even religion has entered the
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