Heroines Aplenty: Portrayals of Revolutionary-Era Women in Tennessee over t

This talk explores the ways that historians and other writers have depicted Revolutionary-era women who lived within the present-day Tenn.
About this Event

Heroines Aplenty: Portrayals of Revolutionary-Era Women in Tennessee over the Years
This talk explores the ways that historians and other writers have depicted Revolutionary-era women who lived within the present-day borders of Tennessee between 1770 and 1810. As early as the mid-nineteenth century, Revolutionary-era Tennessee women were being lauded as “patriotic mothers” and “unsung heroines,” two interpretations that continued well into the twentieth century. With the new social history of the 1960s and ‘70s, greater attention to Native and African American women expanded the image of early Tennessee women. Ultimately, the woman who has received the most sophisticated analysis is Nan-ye-hi, or Nancy Ward, known as the “Beloved Woman” or the “War Woman of Chota.” The talk concludes with suggestions for future research on Revolutionary-era women in Tennessee.
Dr. Antoinette G. van Zelm is the assistant director of the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, where she has worked since 2002. She administers the Tennessee Century Farms program and is the regional grants supervisor for the Teaching with Primary Sources Southern Region. Dr. van Zelm, who received her Ph.D. in American History from the College of William & Mary, is active in the Southern Association for Women Historians and served as its president in 2023. Dr. van Zelm has written about the transition from slavery to freedom during the Civil War and Tennessee women’s involvement in the Woman’s Relief Corps after the war. Currently, she is working on a book that will include transcriptions of three diaries written by women in Murfreesboro during and after the Civil War.

This Lunch and Learn event is in-person in the Museum’s Digital Learning Center at 12:00. To reserve a ticket please use code PatrioticMothers. The lunch and learn will be recorded and uploaded to TNMuseum.org/Videos. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Boxed lunches made by Apple Spice Nashville are available for purchase for $12.24 to enjoy during the event. The lunches will include a sandwich, chips, and a cookie. Lunch orders must be placed by noon on Tuesday October 13, 2026. Please order your boxed lunch on the ticket registration page.