Reading and Writing Workshop

Women’s Roles in Colonial and Early America
Session 1: Women’s Roles in Native American Societies Pre-Contact
Reading Selection:

• “The Indian Woman’s Role in Tribal Life” from The Indian Today: The Past and Future of the First American by Charles Eastman (1915)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33787
• Excerpt on Iroquois Women’s Status from Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico by Frederick Webb Hodge (1912)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18547

Discussion Points:

• How did gender roles differ in Native societies compared to European ones?
• What roles did Native women play in governance, trade, and family structures?

Writing Exercise:

• Imagine you are a Native woman in a pre-contact society. Write a short memoir entry describing a day in your life, including your role in your community.

Session 2: European Colonization and the Experiences of Women in Colonial America
Reading Selection:

• “The Diary of Martha Ballard, 1785-1812” (Midwife’s record of women’s labor, health, and society)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28591
• Selections from “The Life of Anne Bradstreet” (America’s first published poet, detailing women’s intellectual life in colonial America)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9875

Discussion Points:

• What roles did European women take on in the colonies?
• How did labor, childbirth, and family expectations shape women’s lives?

Writing Exercise:

• Using historical context, write a letter from the perspective of a colonial woman to a family member in England, describing your struggles and daily life.

Session 3: Puritan Women and the Legal Status of Women in Early New England
Reading Selection:

• Excerpt from The Trial of Anne Hutchinson (1637) (Puritan woman accused of religious dissent)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27161
• “Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650–1750” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (selections from sources in the public domain)

Discussion Points:

• What legal rights did Puritan women have?
• How were women like Anne Hutchinson treated when they challenged authority?

Writing Exercise:

• Write a courtroom speech in defense of Anne Hutchinson, arguing for the rights of women to speak on religious matters.

Session 4: Indigenous Women and Their Role in Resisting Colonialism
​Reading Selection:

• “The Captivity Narrative of Mary Jemison” (European woman captured by the Seneca, providing insights into Native resistance)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6960
• “A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” (Puritan woman’s captivity and interactions with Native women)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/851

Discussion Points:

• How did Native women contribute to anti-colonial resistance?
• What do these narratives reveal about the interactions between European and Indigenous women?

Writing Exercise:

• Rewrite a section of Mary Jemison’s narrative from the perspective of a Seneca woman. How might her experiences be different?

This workshop balances historical analysis, personal reflection, and creative storytelling to explore women’s roles in Colonial and Early America.