The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Overview:

The conclusion that encounters between European settlers and Native Americans changed the lives of both groups has been central to many historical accounts of colonial history. While the arguments made are convincing, the discussions do not directly address the lives of women. It is possible that this omission is a result of a paucity of sources. Regardless of the problems with sources, the question may still be asked. Does this assumption hold up when we look at the encounter of women of both cultures? If not, why not? Before we can consider questions such as these, we need to look at the available primary sources for seventeenth and early eighteenth century women and gather as much useful information as we can. Because there is not a wealth of primary sources available on the internet on these women, we need to read what we have carefully and learn as much as we can. Hopefully, this will enable us to analyze and write this history. In this lesson, students will use primary and secondary sources to research and understand the lives of women (both Native American and European) in North American in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to create a model to evaluate the validity of historical evidence.
   
2. Students will examine primary documents and use factual references in the documents to construct a history of the encounter of Native American women and European women.
   
3. Students will be able to read firsthand accounts of life in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. From these primary documents they will be able to construct an accurate account of women’s lives

1. The class should all read the following documents about European Women (before and after emigration)—they are brief and can be read and discussed in a class period. At the end of each document, students should summarize the content.

The documents (A through F) can be found on the following site: http://salticid.nmc.csulb.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/eMurray.woa/wa/select?page=primarysourcesupplemental

1. Gouge, William. "Of Domesticall Duties," London, 1622
2. "The Law's Resolution of Women's Rights," London, 1632
3. Chase, Samuel. "Baron and Feme: A Treatise of the Common Law Concerning Husbands and Wives. London," 1700
4. "Feme Sole Trader Statutes," South Carolina, 1712, 1744
5. Blackstone, William. "Commentaries on the Laws of England," Oxford, 1765-69 F. "An Act Concerning Feme-Sole traders," Pennsylvania, 1718

After summarizing each document, have the class write a "uniform code of law" for white women in the English colonies. This will help them understand the legal rights of European women in the colonies as an important influence on these women's lives.

2. The class should read the following documents about Iroquois women—the sections referring to women are noted. At the end of each document, students should summarize the content.

1. The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations, http://www.iroquoisdemocracy.pdx.edu/html/greatlaw.html;
   Read section, "Rights, Duties and Qualifications of Lords."
2. "Dating the Iroquois Confederacy" http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/DatingIC.html;
   Begin reading at the 12th paragraph.

After summarizing each document, have the class describe the rights of women in the Iroquois Confederacy. This will help them understand the legal rights of American Indian women in the Northeast as an important influence on female colonists' lives.

Discussion: What conclusions can the class draw from these primary documents about women's rights in these two cultures?