The Reshaping And Contributions Of American Women In The Westward Movement

For a long period of time, the great westward movement in American history isconsidered as a male-dominated event. Women as an essential part is scarcely mentioned, orthey are just viewed as passive objects and reluctant followers. This paper aims to explorewomen’s involvement and experiences in the great migration process from the1840s to1890sand the social contributions they made to the west, as well as how the wild west reshaped themiddle class white women from the east and caused the change of their images, roles andideology.After giving a brief introduction of the westward movement and women in the19thcentury, the paper goes on to discuss how women together with men made decisions andprepared all the goods for migrating west. By delicately describing women’s experiences andlife on the overland trail and on the frontier, women’s efforts and contributions are exposedand valued. Women made their efforts and sacrifices as much as men did, sometimes evenmore. Women whether as the passive followers or active participants did change and renewthe wild west. The last chapter will mainly illustrate how women were reshaped by the westand change their images, roles in family and society as well as their ideology. Thus, the paperconcludes that: on the one hand, westering women played important roles in the westwardmigration and in building American west; on the other hand, in the migrating process,westering women, compared with their eastern sisters, take the lead to awake and realize theirroles and responsibilities, breaking the cult of true womanhood and seeking women’s rightsactively.