Week 9 Questions/Comments-327 13

1 General Questions
It seems to me that the daily lives of women, the school, and the Lowell factory are all very similar in at least one aspect. All three follow very structured rules that repeat every day and every week. Nothing changes when they go to these places; they work from morning till night under extreme conditions. I guess it easier to control people with a set schedule is in place. - Morgan H.

2 Emma Willard, “Matrimonial Risks,” 1815
I find this document very interesting, in that it shows women of the antebellum period were in fact aware of the mistreatment and double standards they were under in regards to their gender. Though, he testament was very bitter, it did ring true to many of the dangers of falling in love, and marriage entailed, and still does entail, to a woman. -Katie Redmiles

I thought that women who were school teachers weren't allowed to marry? Or did that practice come along later in the century? -Suzannah C.

She writes about how she feels about love. I found it interesting that she informs her sister about these things. This was a time when women were not supposed to express their feeling about love. Is it only men that cannot know that women have feelings about love? Katie Way

I don't think the letter is solely unusual because Emma writes about love. Catharine Sedgwick wrote sexual entries in her journal during the same time period. I think both Emma's letter and Catharine's journal entry simultaneously reflect the freedom women had to express their views on romance while also revealing some of the negative consequences of Romanticism for women. Both pieces show the burdens placed on women now that they have almost the sole responsibility for choosing their husbands based on romantic values. Emma's letter reflects concern for her sister choosing the wrong man and Catharine laments the loneliness associated with staying single, problems that arose from the high marriage expectations for middle class women. -Mary Fesak

After all of the advice Emma gave her sister, Almira about love and marriage, I find it very hypirtcial that Emma was the one who did the exact opposite of what she advised her sister to do? If Emma knew so much about men and relationships, than why did she overlook her own marriage to the young gambler? Is this an example how women can be blinded by love?- Melanie Houston

3 Caroline Gilman, “The Deferential Wife,” 1838
What struck me the most from this passage was how relatable it could be today. The notions were of course extreme, but it was that view and treatment of women then, that has led to the mistreatment of women now. There is much to be learned in the history of the cult of domesticity, for many of these ideas of how a wife should act versus how a husband should act transcends into today's culture. -Katie Redmiles

I find it so interesting how much Gilman is reinforcing the patriarchy within the domestic sphere. It is obvious that women were not in control even within their own house. The point when she says that stopping "(right or wrong) in the midst of self defense" is one of the golden threads of marriage is very confusing from today's perspective, because even when a man is wrong his opinion or his choice will win out if his wife is good. -Amy Wallace

Caroline Gilman not only internalizes the doctrine of domesticity but she articulates it for other women to follow. The best and most horrifying lines in her passage for me is where she describes the hurt feelings she receives from her husband, repressing a harsh answer, confessing fault, and and not defending herself are the "golden threads with which domestic happiness is woven." -- Mae D.

I couldn't help but chuckle at this piece. She tests her husband "urged Arthur to go to hunt and to dinner-parties, although hoping he would resist my urging"and when he fails she attributes it to his ignorance, "they often wound through ignorance". This was a part of her passage that I believe still has value today. On the other hand, she pushes women to act plastic around their husbands. They must be unwanting and uncomplaining which goes beyond just submission. Women aren't just obeying their husbands whims, they must anticipate a husbands emotions and demands and premptively respond. - Kasey Moore

4 Catharine Beecher, “System and Order,” 1841
Beecher states that the discussion of the equality of the sexes in intellectual ways is pointless because there would be no advantage. I see this statement as reinforcing the idea that men and women are naturally better at different things. -Amy Wallace

It is an interesting argument that the education of a man determines his welfare, but it is the education of a woman that secures the family's interest. This puts the woman in a more powerful role than the man and legitimizes the need for her education. It is also interesting that Beecher does not discuss the intellectual equality of the sexes, as no gain would come from the decision. She instead encourages women to fulfill their duties to the high standards she puts forth. -Suzannah C.

It was more important for Caroline Gilman to get her work done than engage in the debate over the equality of sexes because to her, it was meaningless. Why debate when you have a schedule to keep? Even if the hearts and minds of the younger men are won over, who's to say her husband would have agreed? --Mae D.

I think that it is interesting that how Beecher argues the inability to actually argue how men and women should be equal. I cant tell however if this is because she does not see intellectual equality or if she honestly thinks that women should just put there heads down and live by the standards that she suggests.--Charlotte O.

How much of Beecher's focus went towards feminism and how much went towards abolitionism? Where were her priorities in the 1840s, as we already know where her sister Harriet's were. -Ryan Quint

5 Catharine Sedgwick, “First to None,” 1828
On page 152 Sedgwick states "From my own experience I would not advise anyone to remain unmarried, for my experience has been a singularly happy one." I find it interesting that she didn't necessarily take the stance that all women should remain independent/unmarried. She recognized the hardships, judgement, and potential loneliness that came with being an unmarried woman. -Katherine Miller

What caught my attention with this reading was the last sentence which stated, "Sedgwick was, despite all of her disclaimers, an accomplished professional, even when writing solely to herself." I think this is perfect example of how unmarried women can be just as, if not more successful than a married women.-Melanie Houston

7 Eliza Ann Mulford, “Rules of the School,” 1814
I find it interesting that all of the rules for the school are about being slow to speak, being kind, not being angry, and dedicate every hour of your day to academics or religion. but the last rule says that they are to follow the rules that their family has. what would happen if the family had differnt rules than what the school had? Did that ever happen? - Kaite Way

9 Miss Burnham’s Report, “A Choctaw Mission School,” 1824
While I feel that the schools for women would be hard I can only imagine what the Native Americans thought when they had to almost learn a new identity. They had to get rid of their whole commination. It's one thing to be trained but the native Americans were stripped of their being. -Courtney Collier

10 Letters from Teachers, “Reports on Western Schools,” 1847
Both teachers started schools for both boys and girls in relatively poor agricultural towns; what I think is interesting is that they both mention teaching parents through the “Domestic Economy”. Part of me thinks this was necessary in that you can’t educate a child who is improperly fed or has bad health. More importantly, habits need to start in the home so they can be reproduced in the next generations. The other part of me questions how much the parents willingly accepted the advice in “domestic economy” because one, a lot of advice wouldn’t apply to farmers and two, these teachers were writing to their benefactor. – Kasey Moore

I now understand why women came to be dominant in the teaching role. They were trained to be nothing but moral, just, and nurturing. I never knew how much of a role Beecher played in the teacher train process. I believe that this is a concept that many Americans still have today about teachers. This role in a child's life is very influential for the development of the child. In many cases the teachers are with the children more than the parents are. Today there are still a majority of women teachers. -Courtney Collier

11 Rules of the Mill from Lowell and Lancaster, 1820-1840
Was a report of bad behavior threatening to these girls? I assume most girls didn't need to be reemployed after they left that factory and were married. -Kasey Moore

Was there a specific religion these women were expect to practice? Rule nine just says "some palce of public worship". - Kasey Moore

How do the very structured lives of the employees at Lowell contrast with the freedoms and openness that many women were pushing for? -Ryan Quint

13 The Voice of Industry, “A Spirit of Protest,” 1846
As evidenced by each of these pieces, the disharmony between the female mill workers and the industry's beliefs about workers' rights and views could not be more clear. The Voice of the Industry basically bribed workers to make it appear that all was fine at Lowell Mills, while in reality workers felt the need to fight for more freedom. Thus the restrictive rules of Lowell Mills discontented their workers so badly they would feel the need to strike, although that strike ultimately failed. -Kearsten Lehman

14 Amelia Stewart Knight, “Crossing the Plains,” 1853
I cannot believe that she forgot her child at one of the camps! If the other group had not caught up with her, is it likely that she would have gone back to get her daughter? -Katherine Miller

I agree with Katherine, they were so lucky to get their child back on the Oregon trail! It was also amazing to me how good of an attitude Knight seemed to keep on her journey. . . through losing her child, to dealing with drunk Native Americans , sick children and dead livestock. On top of all that she was pregnant the whole time! What a strong woman! --Tanner Carlton

15 Mary Ballou, “A Woman’s View of the Gold Rush,” 1852
Was it rare for women to run boarding houses in this region? As far as I could discern from Mary Ballou's account, the area she lived in was populated by a variety of people belonging to numerous ethnic groups and that the majority of these people were men. -Kearsten Lehman

Mary Ballou definitely showed her sadness through her writing. Apparently she used to live in a house prior to this boarding house where animals would roam through her kitchen every once in a while. I thought it was very interesting that her and her husband were so apt to move from their children and life they had already created. . . what does this tell us about the lure of gold and the California gold rush? --Tanner Carlton

Do we know how the salary that Mary made from her cooking and other work would compare to a salary that a man would make from cooking? Ike C.

16 Petitions of the Cherokee Women’s Council on Removal, 1817, 1818
The Cherokee women appeal to their every adherence to western culture as they can to legitimize their claim over their land. They were Christians, they have missionary schools, they were related to whites by marriage but it was still not enough to stop whites from trying to take their land. After doing some research, the Cherokee tribe in some regions went so far as to even own slaves like the whites did, but nothing was ever enough. --Mae D.

I always find it interesting how the cherokees are the "kids that can do nothing right", they assimilated as much as was asked of them and still no matter what the english continued to treat them as though they were still fully savage. In essence the cherokees were english, even Thomas Jefferson noted that in his diaries. --Charlotte O.

17 Sarah Winnemucca, “Life Among the Paiutes,” 1883
Sarah's rendition of life among the Paiute tribe was quite interesting for it brought up several points that would have had an adverse affect in white society. She makes the point that scalping, although associated with Native Americans, originated outside of tribal communities. Additionally she states that marriages in her tribe were tended to be more equal among the partners, with gender less limiting than it was in white society, especially before first contact was made with whites. -Kearsten Lehman

I find it interesting that manhood is still defined in Native American society by hunting and gathering. It seems as though the shift of industrialism in white American society has caused manhood to be more about education, business savviness, and, (most of all), economics. - Becca Sherman

I believe in this Sarah shows how much the Native Americans held to their culture as most people do. It says in the forward that she would rather live in the mountains in their native way of life then go to a reservation. This shows a spirit that the Native Americans had that neither the English or the Americans could understand. Ike C,

18 A Sioux Tale, “A Woman Kills Her Daughter”
Was the Lakota society patriarchal? The tale reflects a matrilocal community, but the women are portrayed as the weakest characters, a trait of patriarchal societies. They show some characteristics attributed to white women. The mother is selfish, lustful, and easily gives in to her immoral desires. Likewise, the daughter is a passive victim. She does not seek any solutions when she becomes half fish. She also resumes living with her mother, even though she knows her mother tried to murder her. She submissively relies on the active characters of both her brother and her husband, ultimately depending on her husband to find solutions that resolve the tale. -Mary Fesak

Both the mother and the husband in this story use their cunning to get rid of the person they do not need, however it says that the husband is seen as the hero while the mother is the villain. Even though they use the same type of tactics, the desires behind the action is what deems them appropriate or not. What bothers me is the fact that at the end of the story the mother willing comes with the daughter (who she believed was dead) to get the meat with the husband. Not only is the mother a villain but now she is also seen as dumb and blinded by the love she felt for the husband, otherwise she would have to know something was going on. - Morgan H.