HST 222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Colfax Massacre, Reconstruction Acts, Miscegenation
Document Summary
Lecture 14 - sexualization of civil war and. Worked as nurses, factory workers and took desk jobs. All to support the war effort and support themselves & their families. Woman who moved to washington to coordinated the nursing effort. Wanted the nurses to be at least 30 and plain in appearance. Women needed to cook plain foods as to not spark sex drive. Until civil war, nursing outside of the home was a man"s job. Took on head of household roles, bartered, and occasionally had to prostitute to support their families during the war. Poor white women, like susan daniels, were more susceptible to hardships due to the war. 1861/62 led to the worst crop yields in southern history. Many enslaved women tried to cross union lines with their children to reach freedom during the war. When they reached union cams, they were put to work as washerwomen, cooks, and seamstresses in exchange for staying with the army.
