1 / 9

Republican Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity

Explore the impact of Republican Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity on family life and society post-American Revolution. Learn how women's roles in instilling civic values and maintaining the home shaped societal attitudes and behaviors.

donaldlawrence
Download Presentation

Republican Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Republican Motherhood and the Cult of Domesticity

  2. Post-Revolutionary Era • The American Revolution  equality, rationality, & citizenship • Mothers are the ones who instill these values in their children • Concept of civic virtue: unselfishness of citizens to the common good

  3. Republican Motherhood • Selfless devotion of mothers to the family • Role=teaching morals & civic virtue to future generations • Early example shown in Abigail Adams

  4. Effects • More educational opportunities for women • Republican mothers= responsible for national survival • Increased respect

  5. 19th Century Changes • Men worked for wages outside of the home • Women still confined to “female” jobs • Women’s (house)work didn’t earn wages

  6. Cult of Domesticity • Women are naturally loving, nurturing, calm, and faithful • Needed to instill these virtues in the home • Women provide husbands with a sanctuary from his job and politics • Women who tried to go beyond the private sphere were shunned

  7. Four Cardinal Rules of the COD • Piety • Purity • Submission • Domesticity

  8. Family Effects • People married for love • Women had fewer children and were more devoted to the individual child • Families were closer and more affectionate

  9. Society Effects • Decreasing amount of working women in America • Step up in overall conditions • Family size grew smaller & birth rates dropped https://youtu.be/Sa2zog8XwM0

More Related