Early America: Individual Women
Abigail Adams
A biography of Abigail Adams, with links to other biographies and Abigail Adams resources on this site and elsewhere on the Net.
Hannah Adams
This biography of Hannah Adams was published in the late 1880s. Who was Hannah Adams? "She was the first woman in America who made literature a profession." She wrote on the history of religions, pioneering work for the time.
Mary Dyer
From your About Guide to Women's History: biography and links on the Quaker martyr in 17th century Massachusetts.
Pocahontas Saves Captain John Smith from Execution
It's one of the best-known stories in American history: Indian princess throws herself on captive John Smith to save him from her father's order of execution. But is the story true?
Judith Sargent Murray
A friend of Abigail and John Adams and others in colonial and early federalist America, Judith Sargent Murray was the wife of Universalist preacher, John Murray. She was also an early feminist, though her essay was neglected and forgotten for many years.
Betsy Ross
Why Betsy Ross is important to women's history. A biography, illustrations and links to more resources on the net. Addresses the question: did she really make the first United States flag? From your About Women's History Guide.
Mercy Otis Warren
A native of colonial Massachusetts, Mercy Otis Warren raised five sons in colonial America. Then, she and her family became involved in the resistance against British rule. Her writings at the time were about the challenges the new nation was facing, and her history of the revolutionary war was unusual woman's work.
Phillis Wheatley
A biography of Phillis Wheatley and an analysis of her poetry. Phillis Wheatley was a slave in Massachusetts at the time of the Revolutionary War who was educated by her owners and became a poet and sensation for a few years.
Margaret Brent: Woman of Property
This online journal article introduces Brent, an English Catholic who arrived in Maryland in 1638. A single woman, she was a landowner and acted as an attorney representing her family's interests in property and in religious freedom.
Betty Zane, Lydia Boggs, and Molly Scott
More tales of women in the colonies during conflict between the settlers and the native Indians.