Suffer Not a Woman to Speak, R

In the article given to us, Suffer Not a Woman to Speak, the focus is how throughout history women have had a severe disadvantage compared to men. The major topics this author touches on are religion and law.

From the beginning of time women have been looked down upon to some extent by the religious community. After all, it was Eve who fell for the devil's serpent and took the forbidden apple. Because of this men have been lead to believe that women are more succeptible to the devil. This could possibly be why early church and religious leader positions were strictly for men. The Puritan community in the Massachusetts Bay area, however, let Anne Hutchinson hold Sunday prayer meetings in her home. These meetings were tolerated as long as Hutchinson remained faithful to the Puritan ways. She did not meet this requirement. Hutchinson was quickly exiled from her community. I can possibly see how the colonial men believed these thoughts of women, but I do not agree with them. The early colonial men were basing their views of all women on the choice of one woman, Eve. It would be equivalent for women to think all men will murder them because of Cain from the story of Cain and Abel. It is a ridiculous way to view the opposite sex.

The way married colonial and British women were treated under the law is comparable to the treatment of slaves. Married women had no individual rights like slaves. They were under the control of their husbands. They could not own property or even keep the money from their own families. The husbands were in control of the finances and even whether the woman would eat or not. Again, I must disagree with this mindset. A person is a person, despite of sex or race. I believe the colonial and British man's mindset can be traced back to the story of Adam and Eve. Because Eve succumbed to the serpent and Adam did not, this could be the source for the man's thinking they are better than women. The man remained strong from temptation and the woman did not.

These close-minded ideas have thankfully dissolved in most first world countries and communities today but the thoughts still remain and are in practice in different corners of the world. The treatment of women throughout history has been harsh and biased but we are continuing to make progressive steps forward, much as Anne Hutchinson did in her own time by breaking free from the already-formed ideas of her community. From where women's position began in religion, law, and almost every aspect of life, they have since grown and proved their independence and will continue to.