All that her sex would permit her to do... : loyalist women and their claims during the American Revolution.

Abstract

The American Revolution was a crucial time in American history. It caused people to question the very nature of their political existence and doubt England's motives toward the colonies. Men and their roles and actions during this time are addressed in numerous books and accounts, while the roles women played, especially loyalist women, in the American Revolution are, to some extent, ignored or overlooked. An examination of claims filed by women loyalists, often the wives, widows, and daughters of male loyalists gives us a true and accurate picture of women in the colonial era. Using contextual analysis to study women's claims from several colonies provides a general, as well as specific portrait of women's lives during the War for Independence. This thesis will examine fifty-nine claims filed by loyalist women. It is broken down into six parts which examine the women and their claims. It will focus on the items women claimed, colonies they came from, and the compensation the received from the British Government and the areas they settled after the war. This thesis is based on primary and secondary sources which are outlined in the select bibliography.