Women of the American Revolution  

Most of us are familiar with the men who led the American revolution, but what of the women?  We know that they often were left on their own to manage farms and businesses, raise children, keep the family afloat financially, and, too often, to mourn the losses of husbands and sons. But sometimes the actions of American women extended beyond their prescribed roles to shape the course of American history.  During two classes we will examine the roles played by four of those women:  Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams; Peggy Shippen Arnold, the wife of Benedict Arnold;  Deborah Sampson, who fought as a light infantryman in a Massachusetts regiment; and Phillis Wheatley, a young slave who used the power of poetry to advocate abolition.