They were part of the elite who lived comfortably and served as hostesses for dinners and events planned for others like them or their daughters. The value of generals' wives “to the army was symbolic rather than practical. They represented the prosperous and gentrified life that the officers fought to defend. (Berkin, 2005, 68). Before the Revolutionary War, many thought that women had mental and moral weakness. Women's participation in the war provided all the evidence needed to demonstrate their ability to think clearly and make good ethical decisions. A woman's formal education was essential to their transformation. Some believed that “formal education would create masculine women, unattractive in their appearance, neglectful in their duties to their husbands and family” (Berkin, 2005, 153). Women no longer needed to value beauty