Women & the Law in Revolutionary America

Despite a plea from Abigail Adams to her husband to “Remember the Ladies,” women, especially married women, didn’t have many legal rights in the Early Republic. Even so, women used existing legal structures to advocate for themselves and their children, leaning on their dependent status and the obligations of their husbands and the state to provide for them. I’m joined this week by Dr. ​​Jacqueline Beatty, Assistant Professor of History at York College of Pennsylvania, and author of In Dependence: Women and the Patriarchal State in Revolutionary America.Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Chester,” composed by William Billings in 1778, performed by the United States Marine Corps Band in 2014; the recording is in the public domain and is available via Wikimedia Commons. The episode image is: ”A New England kitchen. A hundred years ago,” by H. W. Peirce, ca. 1876, via the Library of Congress. Additional Sources:“When Women Lost the Vote,” Museum of the American Revolution.“Lydia Chapin Taft – New England’s First Woman Voter,” New England Historical Society.“Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, 31 March - 5 April 1776 [electronic edition],”. Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive, Massachusetts Historical Society. “Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 14 April 1776 [electronic edition],” Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive, Massachusetts Historical Society.“On the Trail of America’s First Women to Vote,” by Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times; Published Feb. 24, 2020, Updated Aug. 7, 2020.“Coverture: The Word You Probably Don't Know But Should,” National Women’s History Museum, September 4, 2012.“Boston: A City Steeped in U.S. History,” History.com; Published March 7, 2019, Updated March 13, 2019.“Massachusetts Constitution and the Abolition of Slavery,” The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.“Philadelphia: Colonial City to Modern Metropolis [video],” Penn Museum, July 6, 2018.“An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery - March 1, 1780,” Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.“Historic Overview,” Explore Charleston.“How Slavery Built Charleston,” by Brentin Mock, Bloomberg, July 20, 2015.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands