WEEK 6: Why were the lives of women in the North so different than of the in the South?

As stated on page 177 of the textbook Through Women’s Eyes, “While the northern true woman was praised for her industrious domesticity, in the south a real lady was not allowed to sully herself or risk her charms with any actual labor, which was the mark of the slave” as well as “Far more than middle class northern women, elite southern women were expected to bring dowries- wealth packages- into their marriages…”(177) I understand that there was a large difference in slavery between the north and south, as cotton as a large industry that required a lot of slaves in the south. My big question is wondering how at the time where all these middle class and elite women had been sharing the same ideals for such a long time, when/how did this shift occur where there was a large difference based on the region in which they lived?

If women were willing to risk their lives to get the same rights as men, do you think it would be the same if the roles were reversed?

during the revolutionary war, many women were considered "camp followers" to help with americas interdependence. While they were in the war with the men, many women were there as nurses to help and medicate the male soldiers. Many people didnt like this due to the scare of the soldiers being distracted by the working women, but there were 10 nurses to every 100 men and they were heavily supervised. these nurses risked their lives to help the soldiers but overall it was for interdependance and a stance to show that they are capable as well. Men have never been in the position that those women have, so if the roles were reversed, do you think men would fight as hard as the wen during the revolutionary war to have the same rights, prove that they are as capable?