The United States has gained a reputation of equality and social democracy. Religious tolerance and freedom of speech were rights that were said to be revolutionary. However, an entire section of the population was excluded from these promises of social and economic improvement—women. After the American Revolution, “republican motherhood,” the idea that women were responsible for guarding the nation’s values and passing them on to the countries youth, had taken hold in American society. The “cult of domesticity” was developed to only allow woman to influence their children at home. While “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity” were embraced by most people as the ideal of American womanhood, these goals were not achievable by all women. Through the years from 1776 and the outbreak of the Civil War, women’s roles changed immensely. In this DBQ it shows three years where the roles of the women changed most drastically. From 1776 to 1837, 1838 to 1853, and 1854 until 1863. The first Great Awakening and other religious movements often gave women a greater sense of equality within the church. However, because women were some of the most faithful members of the religious movements, they were often regarded morally superior to men. This moral supremacy led to society’s view that women were responsible for safeguarding the country’s values. However, at the same time Old World beliefs that man were more intelligent than woman, restrained women from government and economic employment. The “cult of domesticity” believed that woman should stay at home at educate the children. As a result, teaching was a profession dominated by females. This caused the ideas of the “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity” to be further engrained into society. We see this in documents A, B and C. In document A it is talking about a poor woman from Philadelphia, who gives up everything for her family. She hasn’t but any non essentials and is now
The United States has gained a reputation of equality and social democracy. Religious tolerance and freedom of speech were rights that were said to be revolutionary. However, an entire section of the population was excluded from these promises of social and economic improvement—women. After the American Revolution, “republican motherhood,” the idea that women were responsible for guarding the nation’s values and passing them on to the countries youth, had taken hold in American society. The “cult of domesticity” was developed to only allow woman to influence their children at home. While “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity” were embraced by most people as the ideal of American womanhood, these goals were not achievable by all women. Through the years from 1776 and the outbreak of the Civil War, women’s roles changed immensely. In this DBQ it shows three years where the roles of the women changed most drastically. From 1776 to 1837, 1838 to 1853, and 1854 until 1863. The first Great Awakening and other religious movements often gave women a greater sense of equality within the church. However, because women were some of the most faithful members of the religious movements, they were often regarded morally superior to men. This moral supremacy led to society’s view that women were responsible for safeguarding the country’s values. However, at the same time Old World beliefs that man were more intelligent than woman, restrained women from government and economic employment. The “cult of domesticity” believed that woman should stay at home at educate the children. As a result, teaching was a profession dominated by females. This caused the ideas of the “republican motherhood” and the “cult of domesticity” to be further engrained into society. We see this in documents A, B and C. In document A it is talking about a poor woman from Philadelphia, who gives up everything for her family. She hasn’t but any non essentials and is now