Dr. A. Hunter HST333 February 12, 2018 Zagarri: Women and Politics In Revolutionary Backlash, Rosemarie Zagarri explores the evolving perception of women's involvement in the political sphere after the American Revolution and into Andrew Jackson's presidency. The American Revolution had an immediate impact and changed mass thinking about the political status of women and developed a broad debate on the definition of women's rights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The essential role of women in ensuring American victory has created many new opportunities for women to find ways to participate, largely informally, throughout party and electoral politics. Most women took advantage of these developmental opportunities and actively sought roles and engaged in American political and cultural life. This active hope for commitment interrupted the beginning of the Federal period, but the reaction from conservative-minded people developed around 1830 and caused any political progress for women to be undermined. Throughout the text, Zagarri uses works by women politicians, letters from women politicians and the wives of men with political power, formal speeches for the Fourth of July, fictional writings in newspapers, legislative acts, and pamphlets. Zagarri uses the examples to highlight the elite class's perception of women's involvement in political activities. The text takes the audience on an adventure through the evolution of ideologies on women's rights, women's political and life roles, and the responsibilities that fall on women's shoulders. Zagarri's text states: "By studying women of all social classes and races, their works have fruitfully revealed, among other things, a thriving female home economy, sophisticated social reform movements, and diverse notions of femininity in the early republic." (Zagarri 3). . The backlash in the 1820s and 1830s began a strong backlash and rejection of women as political equals or even participants like that of men. Zagarri asks the question: “Why have only a few decades produced such a changed perception of women's rights, roles and responsibilities?” (Zagarri 1). The first two chapters begin the narrative by emphasizing that the American Revolution was the major component in developing opportunities and creating the rhetoric for the wave that could begin women's participation in politics. Women during this era boycotted imports, spun cloth, encouraged men in their lives as neighbors, husbands, and sons, collected donations for efforts, and maintained the home front in the absence of a male figure. Zagarri notes that women's efforts have often been recognized and even rewarded. During the American Revolution, American colonists drew on the ideology of God-given natural rights to justify their rebellion in response to British colonial policies. The rhetoric of the time cast a layer of fog over the ideology of what God-given rights belonged to. The cultural aspect of the time emphasized owning property in order to vote. This can be highlighted by looking specifically at New Jersey in 1776, the political atmosphere allowed women who owned property to vote, unlike many other states, but this only lasted for a limited time. With the reign of politics slowly starting to push women out, a sense of activism began to form and women became political commentators, writers and advocates. Mary Wollstonecraft, a “political woman”widely known, it opened the debate on women's rights, which required respect and were taken quite seriously. The other influential women, as stated by Zagarri, were Mercy Otis Warren and Judith Sargent Murray, both of whom participated in political movements for women. Defined by Zagarri as “female politicians”, a growing number of female politicians participated and also showed a genuine interest in political affairs. During this revolution, some welcomed politics' growing interest in women; however, Zagarri argues that “American women and men feared for the future, a future that could involve a total transformation of women's rights, roles, and responsibilities. Women politicians were already pushing the boundaries of acceptable forms of women's political involvement” (Zagarri 78). Women could become independent and pose a formidable challenge to white male power. This change in character and stereotype could impact gender relations and destroy the current fabric of society. This possibility for change would cause Americans to decide whether they wanted to uphold the Revolution's ideals regarding women or ignore them in favor of maintaining society's current social and cultural hierarchy. In the third chapter Zagarri explains the increase in women's partisan support. Women could not vote or participate in the official movements of political parties. Thus, both Federalists and Republicans saw the support of women as a positive sign towards nobility and purity. They believed that women contained these traits inherently and their personal support would bring that narrative to light in the realm of party politics. Women's support provided moral approval for a party's platform, and both parties sought women's favor. Zagarri argues that politics has gone beyond the discourse of the elite and has entered the domestic threshold. Women began to show support at a party through their presence, their clothing, domestic actions, and even through marriage. “At least one woman, and probably more, fell in love with a man's politics as much as with his person” (Zagarri 90). Furthermore, in chapter four, Zagarri put another piece of the puzzle on the table. Tensions continued to grow among some over how and whether women deserved to have a recognizable role in politics and political reform. Between the 1820s and 1830s, factionalism threatened to divide the nation. This led to violence within Congress, at home, and even developed some conversations around the idea of ​​secession. Zagarri believes that only one solution was practicable and that is the distancing of women from partisan politics. Women forged themselves in a new kind of political activity, which in many ways barricaded their return to electoral politics, but created a political sphere acceptable only to women. This pointed women towards social reform and compassionate societies to express their personal commitments to the common good. Some argue that this was a step backwards for women; however, Zagarri explains that it allowed women to practically choose their own political life, even as they rejected the political protests and labels of the rest of society. Republicans believed that the American Revolution was a struggle to transform the social order, while Federalists saw it as a struggle with Great Britain for government rule. After the revolution, Republicans gained the moral high ground and claimed that voting is a natural right for all, but this was misinterpreted according to,, 2011.