Women's Experience of the American Revolution

The story of the American Revolution is often told through military victories, declarations, and political change. Yet, beyond the battlefields and meeting halls, women across the colonies were also experiencing the Revolution at home.
This talk examines the wartime letters exchanged between women and their husbands to explore what life looked like on the home front in Revolutionary New England. These intimate writings reveal how women sustained households, adapted to shifting responsibilities, and coped with long stretches of separation while their husbands were away at war. In their letters, women wrote candidly about their struggles, fears, and frustrations about life at home. In doing so, they shaped their husbands’ decisions, advocated for their families’ needs, and gained new influence in their marriages. By centering these experiences, this talk paints a fuller picture of the American Revolution as not only the cornerstone of our national origin story, but also a deeply intimate and profoundly human one.
About the speaker: Alyssa Frysinger recently earned her M.A. in History from Binghamton University, where she specialized in early American women’s history. She currently volunteers at Phelps Mansion Museum, leading tours and researching local history. Her previous internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum included research on the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, which she recently presented in Cooperstown. Tickets