1. Women in the War Effort 8th Grade Social Studies Mrs. Testa

2. Do Now Activity
1. What role did women play in the Civil War Effort? 2. Can you name any key women?

3. The Cult of Domesticity and True Womanhood
Nineteenth century, middle-class American women saw their behavior regulated by a social system known today as the cult of domesticity, which was designed to limit their sphere of influence to home and family. Yet within this space, they developed networks and modes of expression that allowed them to speak out on the major moral questions facing the nation.

4. New Opportunities and Burdens
The war brought burdens and opportunities for all women
Men went to war and women left to tend to farms, plantations, and take factory jobs.
“Government Girls”: Treasury department hired women for the first time, salary of $600 a year.
Confederate army hired women, eventually paying them same amount as men.

5. Women’s Roles in the Civil War
Women served as spies and soldiers
Former slaves Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were spies and scouts for the union army
Greatest contribution in the field of nursing: Dorothea Dix & Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell.
Nurses made dreary, grim hospitals a little brighter. Cleaned them with soap & water and provided wounded with tender care.

6. Nurses and The Wounded A nurse’s job was daunting
The usual treatment for injury was surgery and amputation.
Little was known about sanitation and disease. Many wounded soldiers caught illnesses and suffered from infections.
One remarkable nurse, Clara Barton, risked her life to carry medical supplies to soldiers on the frontlines.
War time nurses earned compliments from President Lincoln

7. President Lincoln Recognizes Women’s Contributions
“I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women…But I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during the war.”
-Abraham Lincoln

8. Closure
What role did women play in the Civil War effort? Can you name more than one key woman? What trends or themes can you identify about women in the war effort?