Suffer Not a Woman to Speak

The article “Suffer Not a Woman to Speak” was written with the sole intent of proclaiming the fact that colonial women were an oppressed counter culture. They faced hardships such as religious prejudice and the observation of masculine progress while the progress of the feminine culture is detained. Since the dawn of humanity, woman have played a role that is subordinate to men, however, as decades pass and ideas evolve women have gained status and have ascended the social chain. However, because of conflicting ideals, the precursor to what has become the “battle of sexes” has come into play.
Religiously, men and woman are no different. However, in Christianity the degradation of females has always played a crucial role in sacraments and the foundation of the religion. For instance, the Salem witch trials were primarily targeted towards awkward women. Most of these women were not enemies toward society; some educated and revered as threats due to their independence and veer away from the status quo. Anne Hutchinson was a martyr for the expulsion of these prejudices. She was appealing to both men and women with her sermons, however when she began to preach the biblical ideals she interpreted, she was met with disdain and disapproval; consequently death. Women have been without proper representation for centuries, what factors of freethinking, among women, are harmful to the female’s male counterparts?
A plausible explanation for the scorn geared towards woman is the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The story follows the predecessors of humanity as they fall from the biblical Eden to Earth due to a snake’s, later observed as Lucifer, deception. However, in all Christian based religions, they proclaim that this demotion is due to Eve’s submission to Satan’s deceit by taking a bite out of the “forbidden fruit.” Consequently, women have been designated as subservient to men, which may explain their debasement in religion and modern culture.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, women were domestic in that they performed household duties and watched the children. However, due to the enlightenment and new ideas such as Protestantism, women began to feel discomfort and the feeling of what would eventually become feminism. Women began desiring education and lives away from the domestic conformities such as owning and running businesses.
The women of the colonial era had it worse then modern woman. Due to the desire to achieve equality and rights upheld by America’s constitution, American women have taken many successful leaps towards achieving that ultimate goal. Though the Christian hierarchy will undoubtedly denounce any change in the biblical view of women, women all over America are now working together to change this perception. Although women still have not succeeded in changing their global reputation they are not far from revolution.