Dr. A. Hunter HST333 February 12, 2018 Zagarri: Women and Politics in the Revolutionary Backlash, Rosemarie Zagarri explores the evolving perception of women's involvement in politics after the American Revolution and toward the presidency of Andrew Jackson . The American Revolution had an immediate impact and changed mass thinking about the political status of women and developed a broad debate on the definition of women's rights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The essential role of women in achieving American victory created many new opportunities for women to find ways to participate, largely informally, throughout the party. and electoral politics. The majority of women took advantage of these developmental opportunities, actively sought roles, and engaged in American politics and culture. This active hope for engagement carried through the early federal period, but the backlash of conservative-minded people grew in the 1830s and undermined any political progress for women. Throughout the text, Zagarri uses the works of female politicians, letters from female politicians and wives of men holding political power, official Fourth of July speeches, fictional newspaper writings, legislative documents, and brochures. Zagarri uses these examples to highlight the perceptions of members of the elite class about women's involvement in political activities. The text takes the audience on an adventure through changing ideologies about women's rights, women's political and life roles, and the responsibilities that fall on women. Zagarri's text states: "Studying women of all classes and races, their work fruitfully revealed, among other things, a thriving female domestic economy, sophisticated social reform movements, and diverse notions of womanhood at the beginning of the republic” (Zagarri 3). . In the 1820s and 1830s, backlash marked the beginning of strong opposition and rejection of women as political equals or even equal participants with men. Zagarri asks the question: “Why have only a few decades produced such a perception of women's rights, roles and responsibilities? (Zagarri 1). The first two chapters began the narrative by emphasizing that the American Revolution was the primary element in expanding opportunities and creating the rhetoric of rise that could initiate women's participation in politics. During this time, women boycotted imports, spun cloth, encouraged the men in their lives such as neighbors, husbands and sons, collected donations for their efforts and maintained the home front in the absence of a male figure. Zagarri notes that women's efforts were often recognized and even rewarded. During the American Revolution, American colonists drew on the ideology of God-given natural rights to justify their rebellion, in response to British colonial policies. The rhetoric of the time cast a layer of fog over the ideology of what God-given rights belonged to. The cultural aspect of the time emphasized having property to be able to vote. This can be highlighted by looking specifically at New Jersey in 1776, the political climate allowed women with property to vote, unlike many other states, but this only lasted for a limited time. While the political worldslowly began to eliminate women, a sense of activism began to form and women became commentators, writers and political supporters. Mary Wollstonecraft, a well-known "politician", opened the debate on women's rights, which demanded respect and was taken rather seriously. Other influential women, according to Zagarri, were Mercy Otis Warren and Judith Sargent Murray, both of whom participated in political movements for women. As Zagarri refers to them as "women politicians", the increasing number of women are participating in politics and have also shown a real interest in political affairs. During this revolution, some welcomed the growing interest in politics for women; However, Zagarri asserts that "Americans feared for the future, a future that might involve a radical transformation of women's rights, roles, and responsibilities." Women politicians were already pushing the boundaries of acceptable forms of political engagement for women” (Zagarri 78). Women could become independent and pose a formidable challenge to white male power. This change in character and stereotype could impact gender relations and destroy the current social fabric. This chance for change would cause Americans to decide whether they wanted to uphold the Revolution's ideals relating to women, or ignore them in favor of maintaining society's current social and cultural hierarchy. In the third chapter, Zagarri explains the rise of women's partisan support. Women could not vote or participate in official party political movements. Thus, both Federalists and Republicans viewed women's support as a positive sign toward nobility and purity. They believed that women inherently possessed these characteristics and that their personal support would highlight this narrative in the realm of party politics. Women's support constituted moral endorsement of a party's platform, and both parties sought women's favor. Zagarri argues that politics has moved beyond elite discourse and infiltrated the domestic setting. Women began to show their support for a party through their presence, their dress, their domestic actions, and even through their marriage. “At least one woman, and probably more, has fallen in love with a man's politics as much as with his person” (Zagarri 90). Additionally, in chapter four, Zagarri provided another piece of the puzzle. Tensions continued to rise among some over whether and how women deserved to play a recognizable role in politics and political reform. In the 1820s and 1830s, partisanship threatened to divide the nation. This led to violence in Congress, across the country, and even led to discussions of secession. Zagarri believes that only one solution was viable: removing women from partisan politics. Women embarked on a new type of political activity, which in many ways prevented their return to electoral politics, but created a political sphere acceptable only to women. This oriented women toward social reforms and compassionate societies to express their personal commitments to the common good. Some will say this is a step backwards for women; However, Zagarri explains that this allowed women to virtually choose their own political lives, even as they rejected the political uproar and labels of the rest of society. Republicans believed that the American Revolution was a struggle to transform the social order, while,, 2011.