Deborah Sampson Gannet

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Deborah Sampson Gannet impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army and liberating her country from the British. The paper describes Sampson's wartime bravery and subsequent peacetime role of partial breadwinner for her impoverished household. The paper asserts that her story is important to retell today, in honor of her gender and her service to her country.

From the Paper:

"Deborah Sampson Gannett is the first American woman known to have impersonated a man for the purpose of serving in the colonial army during the American Revolutionary War. The contributions of female figures such as Deborah Sampson Gannett have often remained ignored or unrecognized in contemporary accounts of colonial history, despite their major contributions to the early struggle for freedom, equality, and justice (Henrietta, 1997). Sampson did not lead soldiers to victory in a major battle like Joan of Arc. But feminists claim Sampson's life as important and worthy of study for what her example reveals about the age in which she lived, and because of her fearless determination."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Deborah Sampson Gannett: American Patriot." American Revolution. 2007. 24 Jun2007.http://www.americanrevolution.com/DeborahSamson.htm
• Henretta, James A. "Unruly Women": Jemima Wilkinson and Deborah Sampson GannettBiographies from Early America." Published in America's History. Ed. by James A. Henretta, Elliot Brownlee, David Brody, Susan Ware, & Marilynn Johnson. 3rd Ed., Worth Publishers Inc., 1997. Reprinted in the Early American Review. Fall 1996.
• Saxton Martha. Rev. of Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier. New York by Alfred Young. William and Mary Quarterly. (LXII) 3.

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• Analytical Essay # 39984 : "Gender Differences in Sampson and Delilah"

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