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Women's Role In The 1700s

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Women's role in society changes drastically in the 1700s from being accused of being witches to being seen as virtuous and valuable. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich book A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard takes place in Oxford, Massachusetts then Martha’s transition when her husband, Ephraim Ballard, finds a new home for them in Hallowell, Maine. Martha, a midwife, didn’t care who she was treated no matter their race, gender, social standings and political views. Delivered almost a thousand babies and didn’t lose a single mother during her deliveries. During this time it was described as the “era of “social childbirth,” when female relatives and neighbors, as well as midwives attended births” so Martha probably learned how to deliver a child

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