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The Ladies Aid Society started during the time of abolition.^[1] The time period served as the perfect opportunity to demand equality on the part of women. The Northern women had taken up the cause to free the slaves, and saw this as an opportunity to fight for the right to be citizens of the country they held dear to them.

The preservation of the Union came with the help of the women of the nation. Both men and women offered services to support the war. The women of the nation were known as self-sacrificed and virtuous when it came to the preservation of the North during the Civil War. The number of women who sacrificed their way of life was countless. There was hardly a women in the North who did not sacrifice everything. The support of women cannot be measured.

Women began to redirect household labor to the outside world. They were negotiators, nurses, doctors, government assistants, and patriots of the nation. These women held together the unraveling nation during a time of inner turmoil. Before this war, women’s work was unpaid. Women were needed primarily for the household chores. The women were only subordinates of the men.

Catharine Beecher read the inequality of the American society in Alex de Tocqueville’s publications. She believed that the woman held the power to influence the political arena. Her thoughts were guided by the fact that women carry the morals and standards of the household. If women were making the values, then they could influence the values of society. In turn, the women run the household, with chores, gardening, cleaning, organizing, and charitable work. All of these things influence the way a society and government work.

Beecher came to the conclusion that the oppression of women is not okay. Women must do what is necessary to be equal. In other words, the only way women will not be oppressed is to perform. She compromised with the nation lead by men. Women gained power over the household, access to employment, and influence over reform movements. Women began to effect the social changes in public life.

The problem with Beecher’s act was that while the women began to influence these aspects. They were still denied the equality of the men. Women began to view their work for reform as a reason to become a feminist. Women saw that equality in rights was the only way to succeed with the reforms. Women demanded more power.

Women wanted to be able to own property, to vote, to work in equal settings as men, and to be citizens. The Civil War put all of these demands on the backburner. Women came out of the home immediately to support the nation. The women were running important government branches to support the troops. The women were organizing charity. The women were managing the country while the men were at war.

Patriotism and community were the most important aspects of society during the war. The women took the experience that they gained from their fight for equal rights and threw themselves into the operation of a nation. Women were thrown into a world of male domination, and this would have a profound affect on the history of the United States.

As the war began, women seemed almost confused by the events that were happening. The nation’s inner turmoil could make, or break, the entire country. The ways of life, the liberties, the freedoms, of this great nation were barely hanging on, while the men fought over the subject of abolition of slavery. Women knew that if slavery was abolished, social change was in order. This change could affect their role in society. Women began to play a huge role in abolition for this reason.

The Civil War was a surprise to both the North and South. The South did not realize that the act of succession would lead to war. This led to the lack of preparation on both sides. Men were drafted quickly. Women were left to sew, cook, organize supplies, and contributing food. Women began to fundraise, volunteer, and find essentials. As women began to efficiently organize, there was a realization. Women could do more than just talk. Women from across the board, rich and poor, black and white, and North and South came began to organize for their causes. "In Philadelphia there was a Female Association for the Relief of Women and Children in Reduced Circumstances," Scott says. She goes on to write, "...women combined to establish and administer asylums for for female orphans; and in Baltimore to create a charity school for girls. Mite societies, cent societies, missionary societies, mutual aid, charitable and sewing societies were all variations on the same idea."

Women were sometimes torn by the idea of benevolence and the need to participate in public life. The idea of benevolence comes with the notions that Christian-like behaviors will bring health and fortune. Women were expected to take care of those around them. The religious wanted to rid the country of unnecessary evils, while reforming society. Women showed that the combination of morals and love could impact all aspects of life. Women took care of the sick, the abandoned children, prostitution, education of the poor, the weak, and the enslaved. This was added to the civic responsibility of a woman.

Societies were formed to provide support, education, and charity to those in need. These societies provided support for others. The well-being of everyone was put above all else. The women used philanthropy to reshape society. Two key examples of this could be the role that women played in the temperance and abolition movements. These two movements were a way to shape the moral character of the country. Social order would follow.

The women of the South were less involved in the abolition of slaves. "Economic needs and political desires led many African American women to perform a myriad of tasks to assist the United States in its war effort." (Frank, 2008). Their way of life changed completely after the Union won. Women had to piece back together their lives. The war had changed the elite lives of women. The farming women had to survive without the help of slaves after the war. Many of the men died, which also impacted the South. The hardship of running a farm, lack of food, and minute wages affected the survival of the South. Another impact was the fact that when slaves ran away, the men were at war, women needed to fill all the roles in Southern society. "For numerous reasons, most slaves remained on Southern plantations and farms throughout the war, despite opportunities to escape. Many stayed out of fears that stemmed from rumors of abuse by federal soldiers or from concern about retribution by owners for running away." (Frank, 2008).

These hardships did not impact the devotion of women. Women joined to fight in the war. Women were spies during the war. Women were shaped by the war. "Despite public sensitivity, gender constraints, and government policy, hundreds of young women disguised themselves as men, enlisted, and served the Confederacy and the Union as combatants during the American Civil War." (Frank, 2008). The United States was founded by the fact that freedom is a necessity. Frank goes on to say, "Necessity rather than adventure contributed to the decision of some young women to become soldiers. The economic advantages of being a soldier persuaded numerous men and quite a few women to join the Armies of the North and South. Though some young women found work outside the home for wages, employment opportunities were limited for working- and lower-class women. Occupations such as cook, laundress, or domestic worker provided little pay and few advantages; women might expect to earn as a farmer, the predominant occupation for men of the same socioeconomic level." Women did whatever was needed at the time of the Civil War to survive. These women put all on the line in order for the nation to survive. Their actions could be considered the most valued in history because these women did this without being citizens. These women organized for the necessity of survival. These women needed to ensure that their families were protected and their communities lived on. The women had no right to vote in the country they were devoted to. The women had no right to the property of which they were protecting. The women had no right to equal pay to the jobs of which needed to be filled. Not anywhere else in the world could you find that women have fought harder to be equal, than the country of which we live, the United States of America.

Lisa Frank (2008): Women in the American Civil War http://books.google.com/books?id=X2GeBUmW_MgC&lpg=PP1&dq=Women%20in%20the%20American%20Civil%20War&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Anne Firor Scott (1993): Natural Allies: Women's Associations in American History, chapter 3. http://books.google.com/books?id=0ALrHHbsoHcC&lpg=PP1&dq=Natural%20Allies%3A%20Women's%20Associations%20in%20American%20History&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Mary Elizabeth Massey (1996): Women in the Civil War http://books.google.com/books?id=iMOXnAboxV4C&lpg=PP1&dq=Mary%20Elizabeth%20Massey%2C%20%22Women%20in%20the%20Civil%20War%22&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Rejean Attie (1998): Patriotic Toil: Northern Women and the American Civil War http://books.google.com/books?id=fI5D0gDPEwsC&lpg=PP1&dq=Patriotic%20Toil%3A%20Northern%20Women%20and%20the%20American%20Civil%20War&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Assignment 4

The Ladies Aid Society has had an important impact on the United States starting at the time of the Civil War. Women impacted the war efforts by gathering supplies, helping the wounded, and supporting the soldiers. The period of time in which these events occured was very important. Abolitionists wanted the slaves freed from the South. This is significant because the ladies of society were introduced to the "idea of equality". This idea moved the people of this nation to fight for rights, freedoms, and justice awarded to only the white male of the time. This war played a critical role for the religions, politics, homelife, and worklife of America. Almost every aspect of life changed when the war started.

These controversies changed the role that women played. Women were brought out of the home in order to help support the soldiers. This help began a movement called Women's Liberation. This, some could argue, would be the first step to fight for equality. This one step by the formation of the society would impact the American women for the coming centuries.

Ladies Aid Society

Definition-The society was put in place during the Civil War. When the men were at war, on home soil, there was no one to bring supplies to them. The women of the nation took it upon themselves to care for the men. The beginning of the society included bringing food, blankets, and bandages to the men. Most men at this time died of infection, rather than wounds. Women went to sanitize more areas where the men were taken care of. This was the beginning of the nursing profession.

Importance

This impact of women was very important because the men were able to concentrate better than they ever had before. They were able to rest, eat better, and survive more because the women took the role of "caretaker". This deeply affected the war. Women such as Florence Nightingale secured new rules on sanitation. This in turn, passed laws for the country, which assured a cleaner, less-diseased nation overall.

History

This society was the beginning of women having a role outside of the home. The impact was so important that the women were probably believing that they were equal back at this early time period. This could have been the beginning of a new era for women. The women's movement would have an impact 50 years later, but this could have been one of the first steps to independence. The women realized that there was a need for support on the battlefield. Their place was not only in the home. Women made an impact outside the home, and they could make an impact on the world.

The impact of women is almost priceless. The women were participating in an era where most were supposed to spending their lives at home, caretaking being the trade for women of the time. As the war came about, women must have been intrigued that the way of life was changing. Women seemed to love the idea of expanding their minds. Some women became soldiers. Some women helped with the healing process. Some worked by taking care of the farms, factories, and industry.

Women had a hard time getting work outside the home. The lower class women found work as laundresses, cooks, etc. When the war came about, many women disguised themselves as men in order to obtain the careers that men held. (Frank, 2008).

Lisa Frank (2008): Women in the American Civil War

http://books.google.com/books?id=X2GeBUmW_MgC&lpg=PP1&dq=Women%20in%20the%20American%20Civil%20War&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

Impact

This impact would ensure the need for independence. Women would realize that each had potential. These women worked tiredlessly by volunteering time, energy, and resources. All of these duties were done without the help of men, who were fighting the war. Women, for the first time, were thrust into the world, and they thrived. Their energy was endless. Medical supplies, food, and cash were collected by women. Women inspected the cleanliness of facilities for the men. Women would begin impacted not only war, but the nation.

Equal Participation

Florence Nightingale and Elizabeth Blackwell were women who worked hard for the things that were most important to them. They were interested in changing the lives of men. Through sanitation, cleaning, volunteering, cash collecting, collecting supplies, and inspecting facilities, these two women brought women out of the house. For the first time in history, women started realizing their impact on society. They realized that men were not a necessity for their survival. They realized strength was within them. This would encourage women to look for roles outside the home at a steadily growing pace. I believe that this could be the beginning of the Suffrage Movement.

WikiProject Feminism

The WikiProject Feminism article is a helpful tool for people, not just women, to understand and educate themselves on the issues dealing with feminism. People are encouraged to become aware of how the concepts of women's rights, abortion, activism, feminist movements, feminine philosophy, and women's health affect the history and society of which we live. I hope to include some facts about notable feminists and their personal impacts on the movements.