When Andrea went to the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference she met author Suzanne Adair. Andrea then introduced me (via the net) to Suzanne.
Suzanne has some incredibly interesting thoughts about women and history. She has won the Patrick D. Smith Literature Award from the Florida Historical Society for PAPER WOMAN, the first novel of her mystery and suspense series. THE BLACKSMITH’S DAUGHTER and CAMP FOLLOWER continue her fictional ventures into the Southern theater of the Revolutionary War.
Our Non-Traditional Founding Mothers
My historical mystery/suspense series showcases the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War from the point of view of women. While I was writing the first draft of book one, Paper Woman, about ten years ago, I realized that almost never have we heard the voices of women in regard to this war. But when women from war-torn America in 1780 are allowed to speak out, they have something different to say than men of that time.
The protagonist of Paper Woman, Sophie, runs a printing press. Betsy, the protagonist in the second book, The Blacksmith’s Daughter, keeps accounting books for a business. My latest release, Camp Follower, is about a journalist named Helen.
With each title released, someone claims that I’ve created a protagonist who has a historically inaccurate occupation, one that’s certain to get her labeled a slattern. These folks promote the belief that women during the American War of Independence were fragile damsels, and a woman’s place was in the home. In making this judgment, they consider restrictions historically placed on women’s activities.
However, certain variables create windows in history where those strictures relax, and women take on more responsibility. The Revolutionary War provided one such window. Here are some influential variables from that time:
• The Congress was at war with Britain. Many men were away from home in military service, unavailable to work farms or run businesses. Those responsibilities fell to women. In a man’s absence, if a woman failed to work the farm or run the businesses, she and her household would quickly starve, and she’d be reduced to prostitution.
• Great tracts of land within the colonies were wilderness or frontier. Everyone on the frontier, including women, wore multiple hats. Away from the city, a woman did what she had to do to survive, and few people had time or energy to censure her activities.
• By the time of the Revolution, most women no longer needed to take time to spin wool for all their clothing or grow all their own food. They became consumers in a market economy, powerful enough as a group to affect the profits of suppliers. And decimating profits is exactly what women all over the colonies did when they united to boycott Crown imports of tea and cloth.
• The Georgian monarchy, so influential to Americans, modeled permissive and earthy behavior, even where women were concerned. A common misperception is that Georgian society shared Victorian expectations of women. But George III’s North American colonies were much more “unbuttoned” than we’ve been led to believe.
During the War of Independence, women were flung into situations where they had to think rationally, make independent judgments and ethical decisions. Society’s definition of what activities were appropriate for them expanded to accommodate those needs. And so women were “appropriately” accountants, blacksmiths, coach makers, ferryboat operators, gunsmiths, journalists, lighthouse keepers, printers, scouts, shoemakers, shipwrights, soldiers, spies, tanners — you name it.
For each intrepid woman holding down a business or trade and actually chronicled in history, we know that the achievements of many others eluded documentation. These women weren’t early versions of women’s rights activists. Capable women in history did what they did because they had to, and because they could. Their accomplishments reflect the innate, timeless ability of women to achieve. Yet with evidence available to substantiate that women weren’t just trophy wives during the Revolution, why is our gut response to believe that these women were frail, domesticated damsels, hussies if they stepped outside the home?
By and large, the contributions of women from other eras haven’t received the attention of men’s contributions. Stories of war are most often told from the point of view of men, soldiers. Also, information about the proactive and independent role of women from the Revolutionary War may have been overlooked until recently. Often in primary research, you have to read between the lines to hear the small voice with the unique story. A researcher who isn’t listening for that small voice might easily conclude that Revolutionary-era women were mostly silent members of society and thus exclude their voices from our big picture of history.
Make no mistake, while society allowed women to shoulder the responsibility for farms and businesses during the Revolution, the authority of women in the legal, political, and civic arenas was starkly limited in comparison to men’s authority. However, the legacy of these women is our legacy. It’s time we acknowledged that these women weren’t anomalies and discarded that “non-traditional” label.
There’s a bumper sticker that says, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” How well-behaved were your foremothers? What are their “non-traditional” stories?
For more information about Suzanne and her books visit: www.suzanneadair.com or www.suzanneadair.typepad.com.
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Marisa
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 5:49 am:
Hi Suzanne! Welcome to RNTV – so glad to have you here.
Your post is so very evocative. How true- ‘well-behaved women seldom make history’. Maria is always telling me that. I’m the kind of gal who likes to follow the rules – don’t cross the yellow line, don’t go up the down stair case. Occasionally – I’ll break a rule or two and feel guilty while doing it – and Maria will always say in response to my guilt – ‘And your point is?’. Funny that I’m such a rule follower when in fact my mother broke all the rules and is this amazing women who got to live life outside of the box that life created for her.
Her amazing spirit and strength helped her and her children to reach far beyond what was available to us – and she did it against great odds. When I look at her life I marvel and the kind of fortitude and courage she had to not only go against the grain, or do things people thought she was incapable of doing. But – she challenged herself on a constant basis and achieved her goals.
I think it’s amazing that in 2008 we’re still hanging on to gender roles. I was lucky – I had not only a mother – but a father who didn’t believe in them. They always said – the sky was the limit.
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 6:23 am:
Hi Marisa, and thanks for the opportunity to guest blog on Romance TV!
You said, “[My mother's] amazing spirit and strength helped her and her children to reach far beyond what was available to us – and she did it against great odds. When I look at her life I marvel and the kind of fortitude and courage she had to not only go against the grain, or do things people thought she was incapable of doing. But – she challenged herself on a constant basis and achieved her goals.”
Spot-on! One of the themes I write about is ordinary people like you and me who somehow find the extraordinary courage to deal with what seem like insurmountable challenges in their lives. My belief is that just about everyone has the ability to do that. We may not be faced with the life-or-death situations of characters in my books. Maybe it’s the decision to quit a dead-end job and start a home-based business, or leave an abusive relationship. But humans have the ability to prevail and achieve during those “turning points” of life.
It sounds as though your mother was one of those who did so. In one definition of the word “romance,” she would be the hero. Each of us can be a hero — but not if we’re always well-behaved.
Suzanne
Andrea
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 9:05 am:
Hi, Suzanne! Welcome to RomanceNovel.TV!! I had such a wonderful time meeting you at Moonlight & Magnolias and I’m so glad you can be with us today.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
So true! Like Marisa, I’m one who follows the rules and usually doesn’t go against the grain. Though, I do like to read about women who do go above and beyond and/or succeed where they typically aren’t “supposed to”. For example, I saw on the news recently that we now have the very first female 4 star general in the military. How amazing is that?!?! And one of these days we’ll have a female president. Women have certainly come a long way. Yay for us!
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 9:38 am:
Andrea, thanks for your welcome to RomanceNovel.TV. I enjoyed meeting you, too, at Moonlight & Magnolias 2008. The energy level all weekend at the conference was fantastic, don’t you think? I posted about my M&M experience on the lengthy 16 October entry of my author blog.
Yes, it’s great to see a woman finally shatter the “brass ceiling,” and about time. On Election Day here in North Carolina, we elected women to the positions of Governor (a first for the state), U.S. Senate, State Auditor, Commissioner of Labor, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and State Treasurer, plus a number of other positions. Maybe a woman as U.S. President isn’t too far in the future.
At some point in their careers, the women who achieved these positions must have said, “I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.” I imagine that women of the Revolutionary War who held their households together and kept the family businesses going in the absence of men must have said the same — but day by day. It’s worth remembering that some of the most durable large-scale change doesn’t happen overnight, but comes about as a result of incremental changes over a long time.
Suzanne
Buffie
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 9:57 am:
Hey Suzanne! It is so great to have you here today. It was a pleasure meeting you at the M&M Conference this year. It was so much fun to be around all those people who love romance
I guess I would have to say that the majority of the time I am a rule follower. There are been a few times where I have broken the rules, and enjoyed doing so
My grandmother was a very non-traditional woman. After graduting school in the late 20s, she began working fulltime as a clerk in the accounting section of the local creamery. She saved her money and paid cash for her first car. She met my grandfather in 1931. She was a year older than him. They were both from different religious backgrounds. From the stories I have heard, they tore up the dance floor every Saturday night. My grandfather loved to tap dance. They married in 1932. She defied the world’s view on what women “should” do and be. She was a tough old broad!!!
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 11:30 am:
Hi Buffie, and thanks for your post! Your grandmother sounds like a fun lady: managing her own finances, partying every Saturday night, marrying a “younger” man from a different religious background. I bet she laughed a lot.
And this brings up a point I didn’t have space to delve into with my original post. Revolutionary War women weren’t the only women who were “out there.” These women can be found throughout history. Yes, even in Victorian times, there were women who refused to yoke themselves to “traditional” ideas of what their roles should be in society.
Suzanne
azteclady
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 1:42 pm:
Hello, Suzanne!
I don’t know that my grandmother or great grandmother (or my mother, for that matter) were non-traditional, but…
Long story as brief as I can (which is not much): My maternal grandfather died, intestate, leaving my grandmother at 43 with a 3, 16, 17 and 18 yr olds. My grandmother hadn’t finished middle school, for her family was on the poor scale, but my grandfather had money and kept her (and the kids) in style until he died. Suddenly, there was no money–not just for private schools or servants, but there was no money for *food*
My grandmother scandalized everyone on her late husband’s side of the family by renting rooms out, but she supported her kids and herself with the skills she did have: housekeeping and being thrifty by nature. She made their clothes and knitted sweaters and other stuff to sell. She continued taking in renters until well in her seventies, and was self sufficient until then.
Karin
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 1:45 pm:
Hi Suzanne. I really enjoyed your post about non-traditional women and the fact that you have them as your heroines. War has definitely been one of those events that has allowed for women to expand their roles in society, all the way through history. One of the most memorable ads from the World War II era is the poster of Rosie the Riveter. I think that’s one of the things that spurred on generations of women who came after that. Now we’re seeing women busting through all kinds of boundaries and I love that you’re pointing to the fact that there is a whole history behind it.
orannia
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 2:31 pm:
HI Suzanne!
Your post has been very thought provoking
I don’t know any specific stories about my maternal ancestors, but I am proud of the fact that I live in the country that first granted women the right to vote! And we, like the US, just had an election and yes, I did vote!
War has definitely been one of those events that has allowed for women to expand their roles in society, all the way through history.
Very well said Karin! And now I’m intrigued to find a picture of Rosie the Riveter
heidenkind
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 3:33 pm:
Hi, Suzanne! Absolutely great blog. I couldn’t agree with you more that women have always had a very important place in history and society (obviously, since we make up about 1/2 the population), yet their roles are very often relegated to historical curiosities or not talked about at all. I’m not sure why that is, but I’m thankful there are people like you who can bring their stories to life for modern readers.
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 3:52 pm:
Azteclady, we hear stories like that one about your grandmother and think, “I could never do that, provide the necessities for 4 kids in an environment of poverty.” But women have risen to this sort of challenge for centuries, and your grandmother’s story shows just how artificial society’s definition of what is “proper” can be.
Karin, Orannia, and Heidenkind: thanks for your kind words. I appreciate your stopping by my guest post today.
Suzanne
Andrea
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 4:24 pm:
I checked out your blog, Suzanne, and I really enjoyed your detailed account of the M&M conference! Are you planning on attending the conference next year? If so, I’ll see you there!
Natalie
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 6:25 pm:
This is a great blog Suzanne and I’m looking forward to checking out Camp Follower.
The women in my family have always been strong forward thinking people. I’ve been lucky to take a page from their lives and learned, as you so eloquently put it, not to take no for answer. I think that’s the key to making your mark in the world or helping your family survive. I look at my aunts, my grandmother and my mother and I know that they have made hard decisions in order to live the kind of lives they’ve chosen for themselves. They made choices and they armed themselves with the knowledge on how to get what they wanted. The key ingredient that made it all come together was courage and not backing down even when it got hard.
I’m grateful for the lessons they have taught me, and now when things get hard, or I feel insecure, I think about them and it helps me to take the next right step.
Azteclady, thanks for sharing your grandmother’s story.
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 7:01 pm:
Hi again Andrea, and thanks for having a look at my account of M&M 08. Wow, what a blast! I’d love to attend next year, maybe pace myself better so I don’t turn into a pumpkin before the dance floor opens Saturday night. I’m already juggling the scheduling of several events around that time and don’t know yet whether I’ll attend M&M 09. But if I do, I’ll look forward to seeing you again.
Suzanne
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 20th, 2008
@ 7:26 pm:
Hi Natalie, remember “Stand My Ground” by Tom Petty? That song could be the anthem for all these courageous women in history.
Some readers have trouble with historical fiction because people from the past can seem like myths, not real. One way to make a connection with them is by remembering that we all go through challenges in life. Some of those challenges are so basic that they change little, century after century. The drive of courageous women who must sometimes step beyond convention to assure their own well-being, as well as that of their loved ones, is a trait we share with women throughout history.
Thanks for checking out Camp Follower. I wish you many hours of enjoyment and escape with it.
Send me email from the contact form on my web site and let me know what you think.
Suzanne
Andrea
on Nov 21st, 2008
@ 8:16 am:
Thank you so much for visiting with us, Suzanne! I really enjoyed chatting with you. I wish you all the best!
Marisa
on Nov 21st, 2008
@ 8:20 am:
Suzanne – it was such a pleasure to have you with us. Thanks so much for your thought provoking blog – we wish you much success with Camp Follower!
Lonnie Cruse
on Nov 22nd, 2008
@ 11:05 am:
I’ve read and loved all of Suzanne’s books. She really puts the reader back in time, experiencing what those women experienced. Terrific writing!
Suzanne Adair
on Nov 22nd, 2008
@ 12:36 pm:
Hi Lonnie, thanks for your kind words about my writing, and thanks for stopping by to read my post on RomanceNovel.TV! Suzanne
azteclady
on Nov 22nd, 2008
@ 1:00 pm:
Thank you for being here, Suzanne. Have a great weekend, everyone.