Ulrich "Ways of Her Household"
History 110
In the article "The Ways of Her Household", Ulrich argues that women’s
work in colonial American was under appreciated and extremely difficult.
Ulrich states housekeeping is a challenging and complex task that requires
not only intelligence but also significant skill. In the beginning of the article
she describes the everyday roles of women in Colonial America. Women
preformed many difficult tasks some of them were cleaning, making meals,
maintained gardens, milking, made household items to sell and use. For
and example “Preparing the simplest of these meals required both
judgement and skill..The most basic of housewife’s skills was building and
regulating fires-a task so fundamental that is must have appeared more a
habit then craft. Summer and winter, day and night she kept a few brands
smoldering, ready to stir in flame as needed” (Ulrich, 49). These tasks
required a vigorous amount of energy and skill. Colonial women
understood how to do these difficult tasks for an example “ticklish chemical
processes which changed milk into cheese meal into bread, malt into beer
and flesh into bacon”(Ulrish,48) These tasks were very complex and took
tremendous skill.
Ulrich’s does a great job in supporting her thesis topic by giving
direct samples from families in different economic classes in the colonial period
and comparing the household responsibilities. She does immense research and
goes above and beyond to prove her statement. She also compares the lifestyles
and the household inventory in different families and economic classes but alI
had one thing in common there responsibilities as a mother of a household and
their contribution economically. In my opinion I believe her most significant idea
is that women were underappreciated even though there duties require so much
more skill and intelligence. Women did have an affect on their families and the
economy so they shouldn’t have been underappreciated. I find it so inspiring how
women back then did everything they could for their family’s survival.
In the article "The Ways of Her Household", Ulrich argues that women’s
work in colonial American was under appreciated and extremely difficult.
Ulrich states housekeeping is a challenging and complex task that requires
not only intelligence but also significant skill. In the beginning of the article
she describes the everyday roles of women in Colonial America. Women
preformed many difficult tasks some of them were cleaning, making meals,
maintained gardens, milking, made household items to sell and use. For
and example “Preparing the simplest of these meals required both
judgement and skill..The most basic of housewife’s skills was building and
regulating fires-a task so fundamental that is must have appeared more a
habit then craft. Summer and winter, day and night she kept a few brands
smoldering, ready to stir in flame as needed” (Ulrich, 49). These tasks
required a vigorous amount of energy and skill. Colonial women
understood how to do these difficult tasks for an example “ticklish chemical
processes which changed milk into cheese meal into bread, malt into beer
and flesh into bacon”(Ulrish,48) These tasks were very complex and took
tremendous skill.
Ulrich’s does a great job in supporting her thesis topic by giving
direct samples from families in different economic classes in the colonial period
and comparing the household responsibilities. She does immense research and
goes above and beyond to prove her statement. She also compares the lifestyles
and the household inventory in different families and economic classes but alI
had one thing in common there responsibilities as a mother of a household and
their contribution economically. In my opinion I believe her most significant idea
is that women were underappreciated even though there duties require so much
more skill and intelligence. Women did have an affect on their families and the
economy so they shouldn’t have been underappreciated. I find it so inspiring how
women back then did everything they could for their family’s survival.