The Effect of Civil War on Women Rights' Movement in United States

HOW DID CIVIL RECONSTRUCTION AFFECT WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
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Introduction
Emancipation and reconstruction are often thought to be the same, but women knew better. Emancipation is when one gains freedom from legal, social, or any political restrictions. On the other hand, Reconstruction could be defined as the process of putting back together what was broken or rebuilding after a structure or a system has been brought down. Apart from just seeking their freedom and independence, women sought to cement their values and roles in society for good. When a nation could not agree on ways to go forward, some individual states decided it was time to venture out on their own and form their governments. This led to secession and tensions arose, and civil war broke out. To save itself, the government embarked on a reconstruction mission that would make the nation one again. Men went to war, and women stayed back to take care of children and make themselves useful. This paper will look into how civil reconstruction affected women and what challenges they faced during this great period.
In 1863 the Union was successful, but that did not bring happiness to the people as the war still ravaged. The war was mainly a result of the enrollment act. The enrolment act had class restrictions, which finally led to this war gaining the label, “A rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight.” The emancipation proclamation had its adverse effects, especially in the Northern cities where the immigrants believed that the wealthy individuals would steal their jobs. However, in some other places, people basked in unity, especially in the North, and they organized fairs that further propelled the economic muscle of these cities. The fairs led to the collection of millions of dollars for the Union and its soldiers. Because of this, the women began taking more seriously sanitary affairs and occupied strong leadership positions to steer these affairs further forward. As a result, most women began to exert confidence in themselves.[Shearer, H., 1993. Man bites town—New York: St. Martin's Press.] [Wilson, P. and Franklin, J., 1963. The Emancipation Proclamation. p.204.]
The same instances were equally experienced in the confederacy. The conscription act was passed in the spring of 1962, and it required that all the men that had no disabilities and between the ages of eighteen and twenty be enrolled into the military. This limit was further extended to the age of forty-five years. However, anyone found to own slaves who exceeded twenty was considered an exemption from this act and was safe from recruitment as they were deemed to be of a better class. This was a clear indication of class segregation. 1863 saw the greatest number of revolts as most people were by this now fed up. The majority of the population got to their furthest point of discontent. When a food shortage arose, most took to the streets to riot in several confederate cities, mainly Virginia and Augusta, Richmond, Macon, and Columbus, Georgia cities. Confederate women played a significant role in these strikes as they led people in riots against the inflation tha...