Republican motherhood emerged after the revolutionary war. Follow ing the publication of kerbers book, however, historians added females. Intellect and ideology in revolutionary america published by the omohundro institute of early american history and culture and the university of north carolina press kerber, linda k. This idea of an educated woman became known as republican motherhood. Society for historians of the early american republic. Thesis topic will be on the republican motherhood and the litchfield academy and philadelphia young ladies academy. English woman who published a vindication of the rights of women in 1792. The concept of the republican motherhood as a political responsibility of the mother to guide her husband and sons toward a life of civic virtue has become the accepted motivation behind female education of early america. Scarpino athesis presented to the graduate and research committee oflehigh university in candidacy for the degree of master ofarts in history lehigh university december 10, 2007. Abigail adams, letters tofrom john adams and john quincy adams, 1776, 1780, 1783, excerpts. In this context, the word republican relates to the foundation of the united states as a new republic and is not at all concerned with the modernday republican political party. The first american female academies were founded in the 1790s. Learn republican motherhood with free interactive flashcards. Middle class women, wives, and daughters of businessmen found increasing control over their spiritual fervor and moral living outside the home.
Benjamin rush and the young ladies academy of philadelphia, 17 2 summer, 1997. What the revolution meant for women the washington post. Women and the enlightenmentan american perspective. Republican motherhood was the concept that women should educate themselves and be educated in the principles of liberty, independence, and democracy so as to inculcate the coming generation with these republican values.
How to be productive at home from a remote work veteran. New ideology of republican motherhood and its consequences duration. Women of the republic museum of the american revolution. Intellect and ideology in revolutionary america published by the omohundro institute of early american. A new division of household labor emerged in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, which provided the basis for a novel conception of womens roles.
This document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781 during the revolution. Therefore, the idea of the republican motherhood emerged during the late 19th and early 20th century, that argued that women were models of piety and virtue. English print published between 1785 and 1805, engraved by robert dighton, and published by carington bowles. The following primary sources are provided in order to promote a deeper understanding of womens roles in emerging united states before, during, and after the revolutionary war. The short version of the article was a little ambiguous republican motherhood was not an 18c term, but rather a 20c historians name for a prominent but somehat amorphous 18c concept. Choose from 21 different sets of republican motherhood flashcards on quizlet.
In this way, the republican mother was considered a custodian of civic virtue responsible for upholding the morality of her husband and children. The phrase republican motherhood started cropping up around the time of the american revolution. Although women were expected to raise the children and manage the home, women began to take a role in shaping the republic through educating the children. Rosemarie zagarris 1992 article reimagines the intellectual roots of the concept of republican motherhood.
Republican motherhood and womens role in moral reform movements in this paper i will argue that the women who helped change the world in the early to mid19th century were extraordinary and are underappreciated by those who write and report the history of the united states. The concept also led to a new characterization of womens. It also traces the development of the ideology of republican motherhood. How did the idea of republican motherhood elevate a womans position in colonial america. In the history of feminism, the 1790s is often seen as a critical decade. Womens roles were to support her husband and guide her children from within the homewomen were dedicated to the service of civic virtue.
Republican motherhood is a concept that deals with the role of women and their duties to both family and country at the time of the american revolution. This article examines these trends with particular emphasis on the notion of republican motherhood, a concept considered essential in the new american nation rouse, 1995. The document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage. Although it is an anachronism, the period of republican motherhood is hard to categorize in the history of feminism. Katherine herrmann hist 10101 professor farrington 16 march 2007 washington questions part a 1. Republican motherhood is an 18thcentury term for an attitude toward womens roles present. How did the idea of republican motherhood elevate a. In this groundbreaking study of womens letters, diaries, and legal records, linda kerber revealed new insights in how women exercised their rights as.
Benjamin rush and the young ladies academy of philadelphia authors. Republican motherhood, while maintaining womens role in the private sphere, gave women more rights to education. This first booklength study of the rhetorics of motherhood in the twentieth century demonstrates how cultural codes of motherhood were tapped as resources for arguments and how codes of gender and race intersected with, and impacted, rhetorics of motherhood. Further, women were responsible for shaping the moral and intellectual behavior, character, and fabric of society. The early nineteenth century provided a social context that allowed women to first enter the realm of american higher education. Perspective and then again in 1980 in her book women of the republic.
Women and the enlightenment an american perspective, she compared republican motherhood to the spartan model of childhood2 children are raised to value patriotism and the sacrificing of their own needs for the greater good of the country. Republican motherhood, or new motherhood, was a new term used after the american revolution which was meant to be a form of pride and sign of quality. Republican motherhood differed from other contemporary beliefs, such as those of mary wollstonecraft, which advocated for a more public role for women. The republican motherhood came about in 1780 along with the american revolution. The philadelphia young ladies academy, litchfield academy, and the bethlehem female seminary by katherine r. Given their special moral attributes, women were assigned the responsibility of preparing young males for their future duties as citizens in the new republic. Morals, manners, and the republican mother all titles morals, manners, and the republican mother dublin core. It centered on the belief that the patriots daughters should be raised to uphold the ideals of republicanism, in order to pass on republican values to the next generation.
Motherhood was a very important step for women towards the public. Republican motherhood still relegated women to the. In america, responsibility for maintaining public virtue was channeled into domestic life. The idea of republican motherhood republican motherhood the concept of mothers raising virtuous children to be the. The ideology of republican motherhood seemed to accomplish what the enlightenment had not by identifying the. Republican motherhood is one of the central interpretive concepts in early american womens history, and i think it deserves four paragraphs of explanation. Republican motherhood is a 20thcentury term for an attitude toward womens roles present in the emerging united states before, during, and after the american revolution. In this way, the republican mother was considered a custodian of civic virtue responsible for. Apush chapter 9 flashcards flashcard machine create.
Intellect and ideology in revolutionary america is now considered both a foundational text in the field of womens history and a defining work for the history of early america. Read the revolution women of the republic museum of. Republican motherhood was the ideology that defined womens political role in the early american republic by their capacities as the mothers of future citizens, rather than by the granting of equal participation in the rights and obligations of full citizenship. From my research, republican motherhood was really an elevation of recognized dignity and the first step toward viewing women as more than caretakers of the household. Kerber coined the term republican motherhood to describe the peculiar political mission assigned to american women in the revolutionary era. Society for historians of the early american republic rethinking republican motherhood.
Can you define republican motherhood and the cult of. The idea of republican motherhood by alex turcotte on prezi. Republican motherhood was the idea that women should educate. The nineteenth century index draws on indexes such as the nineteenth century short title catalogue, the wellesley index, pooles index and periodicals index online to create integrated bibliographic coverage of over 1. When linda kerber coined the phrase republican motherhood, she altered. Shaping and marketing republican motherhood historians nancy cott, linda kerber, and mary beth norton have outlined the traits of a postcolonial, american, middleclass role for women. Coming from the common belief in civic duty of every citizen in the democracy that americans battled to reclaim and proclaim, the role of women as the primary moral and intellectual educators of future responsible citizens began to take hold. Intellectual equality of sexes, economic independence, and participation is republican government. Women and the enlightenmentan american perspective linda kerber university of iowa the great questions of political liberty and civic freedom, of the relationship between law and liberty, the subjects of so many ideological struggles in the eighteenth century, are questions which have no gender. According to mary beth norton, emphasis on virtue led to a new emphasis on.
By doing so, the mothers would encourage their sons. Republican motherhood paved the way for the emergence of the public. Who were the primary caretakers of american children. Women of the republic views the american revolution through womens eyes. If the republic were to succeed, women must be schooled in virtue so they could teach their children. As the political and economic structures of the colonies shifted and became an independent nation, the expected roles of women changed.
Their influence on their sons through the teachings of civic. For odysseus is wise and knows this will express the virtue of motherhood and ignite. Even when she writes of virtue and religion, she does so with an eye toward their relationship to power and the uses to which it is put in the public sphere. Title morals, manners, and the republican mother subject. She felt that she needed to try and give him a child. Political, religious, and cultural trends of the day indicated a need for educated women. Women and the enlightenmentan american perspective authors. On the one hand, it reinforced the idea of a domestic womens sphere separate. The second great awakening experienced a feminization of religion in both church membership and theology. Ann romney, eliza pinckney, and republican motherhood.
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