During the American Revolution, Virginia women, like those across the colonies, were in a precarious position. The political and social upheaval of wartime provided new opportunities for many women: the possibilities of land ownership, political influence, paid work, or, for enslaved women, freedom from slavery. But they also had much to lose: their homes, their families, or even their lives. Knowing the risks, Virginia women acted within a complex framework of race, ethnicity, class, religion, and social networks, and their actions were as diverse as their backgrounds. Some women protested British rule by boycotting imports. Others supported British and Continental troops with their labor, working as cooks, washerwomen, and nurses in exchange for wages or rations. Freedom-seeking Black women liberated themselves to join both British and American lines. The American Revolution substantially affected women’s lives, but it had different legacies for each person. Some white women took advantage of new opportunities to receive a formal education. Women of all backgrounds petitioned Congress and the War Department to demand pay for their wartime services—and often succeeded. But many Indigenous women were forced to leave their destroyed homes and migrate west. Self-liberated Black women also migrated; thousands went to Nova Scotia, where they still battled discrimination by their white neighbors. Meanwhile, many Black women who remained in Virginia sued their enslavers for freedom. Despite the uneven legacy of the American Revolution for women, it created a language of liberty that all women could eventually use to demand full citizenship.
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