Chapter 1: 1775–1850: Divisions of Labor in an Agrarian Nation The colonial period in American history lasted for roughly 200 years, starting from the time the first permanent European settlements were founded in the early 1600s to the American Revolution and the establishment of a new United States govern- ment in 1776. The American Revolution and the r esulting independence of the new United States from Great Britain enabled the country to begin to industrialize, as Great Britain had done in the mid-1700s. Due to a number of obstacles, how- ever, full industrialization didn’t emerge in the United States until the mid-1800s. Included among these were unstable markets for goods, lack of capital to invest in developing factories, unstable currency, no formal banking system, a lack of skilled labor, and inefficient means of manufacturing. The first half of the 19th century, then, was one of emerging industrialization, made possible by major advances in transportation, communication, and industrial pr oduction. The economic divide that grew between the North and the South after the American Revolution—with the North prioritizing industr y and the South, cotton pr oduction—along with growing opposition to slaver y, gave rise to an abolitionist movement and then a women’s movement that grew out of women abolitionists’ experiences. We start this chapter with the colonization of North America (particularly in the territories that became the United States) by Europeans (1600 to 1776). We high- light the influence of the cultural and religious beliefs carried to America by the colonists and the enslaved Africans that shaped gender roles in early America. We discuss the development of industry in the United States and its impact on families and work (1790 to 1850). We end this chapter with a discussion of the emergence of the abolitionist movement (1830s) and the role of women in it, focusing on the ways in which women’s participation in abolition led to the cr eation of the wom- en’s movement in the mid-19th century. Gender Role Attitudes and Beliefs Brought to the Original Colonies, 1600 to 1776 The first permanent English colony was founded in Jamestown, Virginia (1607). The vast majority of those who struck out for V irginia were young, single men seeking economic success. This gr eatly skewed the sex ratio. Men outnumber ed women by four to one in the early years. In 1620, over 90 women arrived in James- town, with the expectation that they would be auctioned off to male bidders who were looking for wives. All found husbands (Lunar dini 1994, pp. 1–2). Marriage was the major route to upward social mobility for women as well as a source of economic security for both men and women.
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