Women Then & Now - Sleepy Hollow & Tarrytown, NY

The women during this age were mostly Indians. They wore Indian clothing, then later on adopted a more colonial way of dressing. Through the years, the clothes started changing and women in general started changing. They really did not fight for things back then, as women do now, so, they did not have that much freedom. They planted, made food for their families, took care of the animals, and they were potters. They wore moccasins and leggings, to protect themselves from the weather. The moccasins did not last very long, so it was very hard on their feet for the women. They made baby cradles for their babies, which the women held on their backs, so they could continue doing their work without having to leave their baby somewhere.

The women had no right to vote and the men expected the women to clean the house, take care of the children, and cook for them.

Everyone knows that the Hudson River Valley played a strategic role in the American Revolution. The thing that is not well-known is that women played a role in the Revolution too.

On November 16,1776 Margaret Corbin performed one of the most outstanding acts of heroism known to have occurred in the Revolution. She took over fighting for her dead husband, "Captain Molly," single-handedly kept a canon roaring down at the Hessians attacking Fort Washington. The act left her more dead than alive, but she was not forgotten by her grateful countrymen, who saw to it that her selfless act was detailed on a bronze plaque. The plaque is marking her grave in the US Military Academy Cemetery at West Point.

The women of the Mahicanituck tribe, which inhabited the Hudson River Valley, did the house hold work. The preparation of food for their family was probably considered one of the most important jobs they had. They planted maize (corn), squash, pumpkins, and sunflowers. They gathered berries, grapes, acorns, nuts and edible roots.

They ground parched maize in kernels, a wooden block with a hole in the middle. They used it because it was portable, and they moved around a lot. When they had permanent camps, they used a larger kernel that would allow women to grind more maize.

Madam C. J. Walker was a Tarrytown resident, and owned a $250,000 Italian, neo Palladian mansion. She had a very successful black hair care and cosmetics company. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was orphaned at the age of six. She married at fourteen, was a mother at seventeen, and a widow at twenty. She had a dream and moved to Denver. There she formulated three products to strengthen and beautify black hair. She married Charles Joseph Walker. In a speech made by her, she said, "I promoted myself. I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit-down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!" She made contributions to YMCA’s in black communities, and the NAACP. Her products were marketed internationally.

Another influential women from Tarrytown was Amanda Foster. She was born in 1806. She got married at a very young age. Her husband died a few years later. She then married to Henry Foster. On his deathbed Henry put Amanda in charge of finishing his work of creating a church for blacks. That is how the Foster Memorial A.M.E Zion Church that still stands today was built.

Today, women play an important role in society. Women have gained respect and independence. The women long ago did not have the right to vote and as much freedom as today. In present day, women know that men do not have the right to boss them around or criticize them.

Though women are much stronger today than many years ago, they are faced with the problems of everyday life such as sexual harassment and chauvinistic men.

Today, women speak out on issues much more than they would be allowed to years ago. Clothing styles have changed over the years and are very different than the Indian dresses and the colonial dresses. There are many different styles that women can choose from today. Women have the right to vote, drive cars, get a job, be a housewife and go to college.

Batchel, Angela, The Legacy of C.J. Walker, A Self-Made Millionaire, Suburban Styles 1990.

Hall, Terri, "Amanda Foster Quietly Crusaded For Slaves’ Freedom" Gannet Suburban Newspaper, Sunday February 23, 1986.