Suffer not a Woman to Speak

R

Suffer not a Woman to Speak

October 2, 1767

Dear Diary

Oppression, seclusion and persecution are things that I face daily as a woman. Although I contribute to my household and church in numerous ways, society still feels that I am not equal to my male counterparts. Protestant ideologies restrict us from many rights and they are reiterated in the law. We women have been subservient to men for generations and it has continued in this New World.

The Bible has made it clear that as children of God, we were all made in His image and are spiritually equal. However, biblical passages have also instilled the ideology that we are to be ruled by their husbands. Within the Church, we are expected to remain quiet and kept to ourselves about our religious views. Ann Hutchinson is an example of why we must conform to our role in the Church, or face severe consequences. Otherwise, we could end up like Ann Hutchinson whom expressed her ideas that the clergy could not determine who was an elect, and then was eventually exiled from the colony.

Adam and Eve are used to demonstrate our roles, too, and to show that sin is more tempting for us than for men. Because of Eve’s original sin, women are considered to have “devilish powers.” This mindset contributed to the Salem Witch hysteria in Massachusetts. Suspicion and accusations were forced upon many women that lived in that town. Some even admitted to the crime despite their innocence because they were so filled with the idea told to us in the Church that we are evil. Constantly being told of our evil nature causes some other women to be very hypercritical of themselves and to possess a very low self-esteem. However, the Church for me is a place of renewal, purpose and hope.

Education is one area where we are given opportunities that most women are not provided with. Our churches here in New England allow us to participate in classes as children where we are taught to learn to read and write. I once had a friend whom was a Quaker, though, and they had rights beyond belief! They were able to have a voice in the church, be preachers and husbands were set to follow policies similar to that of their wives. These rights, though, had taken a while to be accepted here in the colonies. The Church generally has given us a decent status, but we are still subservient to our husbands and are given a judgment of being evil.

Common Law here in the colonies oppresses us much more then the church. We are forbade the right to vote, the right to sit on a jury, the right to sue, the right to own an inheritance from our husbands and the right to keep our own salaries. Single women are much better off than us married women as their only exceptions are voting and sitting on a jury. We are told that eventually, things will change for us; we are told of more marital rights and a property rights, but we are unsure if these dreams will become actualities.

The church and law in the American Colonies oppresses women from North to South. We are faced with Biblical interpretations that tell of our subservience to men and our evil nature within the church. The law of our colonies also reiterates these beliefs by giving married women very little rights. Hopefully, society will eventually change to see our equality in the eyes of the Lord, until then I am forced to leave my ideas in this journal of mine for only my eyes to see.