kening of the shadow of the Revolution that the American woman,
untrammelled by conditions of residence or descent, began to appear as a
type. She was very admirable, but she was no longer unique.

CHAPTER VII

REVOLUTIONARY DAYS

Though the present chapter in its title purports to tell of the days of
the war for independence, in reality this is but an arbitrary heading,
for we shall approach those days from the distance of a quarter of a
century. Not that there were at the beginning of this period any
distinct limits of demarcation from the days immediately preceding it:
the contrary was the case. But it is needful for the chronicler that he
have some point of departure in each of his progressive steps toward the
goal of to-day. The opening period of this chapter, therefore, is about
the year 1750. There are reasons for this, apart from the arbitrary whim
of the historian. Though not exactly in the year dividing the century,
yet about that time there began to be manifested a spirit of American
nationality such as had never before been shown. For the first time the
country began to appear to itself in the aspect of something more than
an aggregation of colonies, and to examine itself whether it were not in
truth a nation. From the Canadas to the Carolinas there began to be a
feeling of cohesion, a tardy and half-awake recognition of unity of
interests and race. There had come about a much-fractured and thinly
stretched chain of communication and continuity from north to south, and
this was having the effect of binding together the scattered settlements
in a feeling of union, which was in a way effectual in the shaping of
the history of women in America.

There were still--there ever must be--differences of manners and customs
and even of thought imposed by the geographical dwellings of the women
of the various sections; but there was withal a certain continuity and
persistence of type, and this was gathering strength to survive the
coming days of storm. During years of stress, in the face of treason to
itself at the hands of its own daughters as well as of foreign foes, it
did so survive and became the American woman of the early days of the
republic; but there was much of vicissitude to be borne
first--vicissitude not always recognized by the chroniclers of those
days, for it was rather of manner than of contest. It was the old
question of the survival of the fittest, with European complexity and
American s