Impacts on American women
Prior to the 19th century, American women were were restricted by the Doctrine of Coverture, which stated that a woman would be always covered by a male and cannot make legal decisions for herself. Such inequality did not grant a chance to women to have any influence in the society. A significant change was necessary for the American women to be freed from these chains.
The answer was the American Industrial Revolution. Women's role in the American society rapidly increased as the revolution began to spread throughout the nation. American women started working in factories as number of jobs rose due to increase in factories. These jobs often did not need special knowledge or training, so women were as capable to do the jobs as the men were. Since women were willing to work for less wages than men, employers began regarding women as their crucial employees. As a result, women factory workers increased incredibly rapidly from the 1830s, becoming a pivotal labor source of the United States.
Harriet Hanson Robinson’s letter as a female factory worker in the textile Mills of Lowell shows how women became more independent during American Industrialization. She describes how the factory was full with girls from all ages, mostly ranging from 16 to 25. These girls all separated from their families to find jobs in factories, which reflected the increased opportunities for women.
In what follows, I shall confine to myself to a description of factory life in Lowell, Massachusetts from 1832 to 1848, since, with that phase of Early Factory Labor in New England, I am familiar-because I was part of it. "
Link to the full letter: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/robinson-lowell.asp