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New Jersey Women’s Revolutionary Experiences

Thursday, May 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Photo credit: Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth. June 1778. Copy of engraving by J. C. Armytage after Alonzo Chappel. National Archives and Records Administration.

Delve into the experiences of women during the American Revolution with historian Lucia McMahon. This program is held in partnership with the William Trent House Museum.

FOR MORVEN MEMBERS

Please note that you must login into your Morven Member account in the upper righthand corner of the registration page in order to access the member rate.

As we commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence, this presentation will explore the varied experiences of New Jersey women during the era of the American Revolution. 

In the years leading up to the war, women provided essential support for patriotic protests, boycotting imported goods such as tea, fabric, and porcelain and producing homespun cloth. During the American Revolution, both patriotic and loyalist women dealt with wartime shortages, absences from loved ones, and other hardships. New Jersey women were often directly “at the crossroads” of the war, in close proximity to troop movements, encampments, and combat. Some family homes, including Morven House, were temporarily repurposed into military headquarters, disrupting familiar spaces and routines. 

For many New Jersey women, the home front and battlefields remained inextricably connected throughout the war. Attention to women’s experiences brings to light the complex, contested, and prolonged nature of the American Revolution in New Jersey.

This program is offered in a hybrid format offering both in-person and virtual access. A Zoom link for virtual attendees will be shared via email following registration. The program will be recorded and a recording shared with all registrants after the event.

But wait, there’s more!

Looking for more programming on New Jersey women and the American Revolution? Save the date for April 26, 2026, for “Women and Military Encampments During the American Revolution” with Lucia McMahon and the William Trent House Museum. Learn more by visiting: https://www.williamtrenthouse.org/upcoming.html.

About the Speaker

Lucia McMahon is currently a Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History, Philosophy, and Liberal Studies at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, where she regularly teaches courses in historical methods, early national U.S. history, and women’s history. Her research broadly focuses on women’s intellectual and educational history, with a particular focus on the recovery of relatively “unknown” women’s voices and experiences. Her latest book, The Celebrated Elizabeth Smith: Crafting Genius and Transatlantic Fame in the Romantic Era, was published in fall 2022 by the University of Virginia Press. She currently serves as co-editor of Ceres, a book series on New Jersey studies published by Rutgers University Press.