Rayka B.

Important Women During the Revolutionary War 

¨We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that corresponds with them.¨ Once said Abigail Adam. Regardless of laws that didn't allow women to speak their mind, she always did, along with Mary Otis Warren. Some brave ladies didn't need words to make a difference,but instead actions that’s  exactly what Betsy Ross and Mary Ludwig did. All four of them served a part in women rights either with ink,feathers,and paper,or using actions.

      Chapter 1~Betsy Ross

Do you want to find out who made the first American flag? Keep reading to find out more.^/’Elizabeth Griscom ,or better known as Betsy Ross, was born on January 1st, 1752 in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. She was the eighth child out of seventeen children, so you can imagine her house was pretty full,but sadly only 9 survived their childhood.  Growing up her father wanted her to learn to trade, so she became a  apprentice. She and her family were Quakers. Quakers were people who were christian and didn’t believe in British rules. When the war came around her and her family were patriotic. She was also asked to make the first original 13 colonies American flag, and was asked by George Washington  himself  to do this task. During the war she mostly stayed out of it and watched as she continued life. She got married to John Ross two years before the war in 1773, she had no children with him because he died during the war. She had 2 children with her second husband Joseph Ashburn. Her two children were  Aucilla Zillah Ashburn and Elizabeth Ashburn. She remarried a 3rd time to the same person who told her that her husband was dead, who was none other than James Claypole. Together they had 5 children named, Harriet Claypoole,Clarissa Claypoole Sidney Wilson, Susannah Claypoole Griscom satterthwaite, Rachel Claypoole Fletcher, Jane Claypoole Canby,and  Sydney Claypoole. Sadly only 5 of her children survived to their Adulthood. She died January 30,1836 at the age of 84 (Which was pretty old back then.) “Today the american knight holds the commercial supremacy of the world”~Betsy Ross.

 
    Chapter 2~Abigail Adams

Do you know who was Abigail Adams? Well if you lived back in the 1700 then you would Abigail Smith, or famously known as Abigail Adams, She was the 1st lady of the 2nd U.S president.She  was born on November 22, 1744 in Weymouth,Massachusetts. She was the 2nd born out of 4 other siblings, which all survived to adulthood. Growing up she didn’t go to school she was taught reading and writing at home by her mother.  She got married at the age of 19 to the 2nd U.S President John Adams. In 1764, October 25 in Smith family home, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She later on moved to Boston to live with John Adams.she had 3 sons and 3 daughters, but only four lived. Her first child, Abigail Amelia Adams was born 9 months after her parents were married. Her second child, Charles Adams  apprenticed under Alexander Hamilton himself. Abigail Adams third child  was Thomas Boylston. One of her children took after his father and became President of the U.S, who was John Quincy Adams. She had two other kids named Susanna Adams ,who died 2 years after she was born,and Elizabeth Adams (Who died the same year when she was born.) Abigail Adams died on October 28,1818 of typhoid fever. She died 5 years after her favorite daughter,Abigail Amelia Adams (also known as Nabby) died of breast Cancer. I think back then Cancer must have been scary because you didn’t know what it was at all. Abigail Adams last words were, “Do not grieve, my friend,my dearest friend, I am ready to go. And John, it will not be long.”~Abigail Adams

Chapter 3~Mercy Otis Warren

Have you ever wondered who started protesting for women's rights along with Abigail Adams? Keep reading to find out. She was born on September 14, 1728. She was third out of 13 other siblings.(Which in my opinion is a lot of siblings to share a house with.) Sadly only six of her siblings survived to adulthood.She was also born into a colonial family who did not agree with British rules. During the war she wrote a play to convince people to fight against the British,which actually did work.She got married in 1754 to James Warren. She also fought for women's rights along with Abigail Adams. She was also know as FIRST LADY OF REVOLUTION and her favorite subject was American Independence. Her Job was a playwright. She had 5 children named Charles Warren, Winslow Warren, James Warren, Henry Warren, and George Warren.One of her famous quotes are “The waves have rolled upon me, the billows are repeatedly broken over me, yet I am not sunk down.”~Mercy Otis Warren.She died on October 19, 1814 at the age of 86. Although it’s been almost  300 years since she’s died, in 2002, They added her into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.

    Chapter 4~Mary Ludwig Hays

Do you know who was called Molly pitcher and why? Read to find out why. She was born on October 13,1754 near Trenton ,New Jersey. She had one other brother named Johann Martin. She never had a proper or formal education growing up. She worked as a servant girl and married a barber. Mary married in 1777 to William Hays a barber at the time who later on joined the continental army. During the winter she joined her husband at the continental army’s winter camp in Valley Forge,Pennsylvania. Do you want to know why they called Mary Ludwig Hays, Molly Pitcher? They called her Molly because it was a popular nickname for Mary, and Pitcher because she would bring fresh water to soldiers. So basically they would shout,”MOLLY!PITCHER!” For some fresh water. One of the most famous thing that she was known for was for firing cannons after her husband got shot in the head and fell to the ground, her petticoat even fell off of her!  She died in January 22,1882. She died because of skin cancer,which in my opinion was one of the worst ways to die back then because you probably didn’t even know one thing about it. “These are the times that try men's souls” 

~Mary Ludwig Hays.

Overall, without Mary Hays,Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, and Mercy Warren, our world today might have had consisted of not a lot of female leaders, nor women's rights movement. In my opinion our world would most likely be very different, women and girls might not get a say in things, we might not have had won the revolutionary war, and probably not have some of the things that we have today. What might have happened if women's and girls didn’t stand up or protest for women's rights?

QUIZ!

1)What was Abigail Adams LAST words?

A)Grieve,my cousin,my least favorite cousin, I want to leave peacefully.

B)Do not grieve,my Nabby,my favorite daughter. I am ready to go and it will not be long,Nabby .

C)Do not Grieve,my friend, my dearest friend I am ready to go.And John it will not be long.

D) Do not worry I will be in a better place with John

 2)Who was named “FIRST LADY OF REVOLUTION”?

A)Mercy Otis Warren

B)Abigail Adams

C)Mary Ludwig hays

D)Martha Washington

3)Who’s Petticoat fell off while firing a canon?

A)Mary Ludwig hays

B)Aaron Burr

C)Peggy Schuyler

D)Betsy Ross

4)Who said the quote “Today the american knight holds the commercial supremacy of the world”

A)Abigail Smith

B)Betsy Ross

C)Mary Ludwig Hays

D)Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton

Answers!

1-C) Do not grieve,my friend,my dearest friend, I am ready to go. And John it will not be long.

2-A)Mercy Otis Warren

3-A)Mary Ludwig Hays

4-B) Betsy Ross