“Don’t Forget the Women”. Republican Principles Not Meant for Women Property Voting Like...
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Transcript of “Don’t Forget the Women”. Republican Principles Not Meant for Women Property Voting Like...
Republican Principles Not Meant for Women
PropertyVoting
Like Abigail Adams, Mercy Warren questioned…
Mercy Otis Warren
If peace and unanimity are cherished, and the equalization of liberty, and the equity and energy of law, maintained by harmony and justice, the present representative government may stand for ages a luminous monument of republican wisdom, virtue and integrity. The principles of the revolution ought ever to be the pole-star of the statesmen, respected by the rising generation; …The people may again be reminded that the elective franchise is in their own hands; that it ought not to be abused either for personal gratifications… This advantage should be improved, not only for the benefit of existing society, but with an eye to that fidelity which is due posterity.
MercyOtisWarren
Men were concerned women would alter politics
Public interest“politics are too dirty”Informed enough to vote?
Economic Shifts lead to Cultural Shifts
Pop increases
• Decline in property
Changing settlement patterns
• Less land to hand down
Family
affected
• Less influence over marriage
Cultural Change Influences Marriage
Romanticism in England - SentimentalismMarriage for love
Companionate Marriage Choice Choice important as family declines in financial
sustenance Still might be male dominance in the house Expanded acceptance of divorce (relatively)
Change in Family Structure
Fewer children Because…fathers’ inability to provide adeq. Inheritance Less necessary to have children to farm Standard of living and health increases
Class dictates structure Nannies, house maids, cooks
Religion reinforces Women’s role and value Protestant ministers blame men for sexual misconduct Women to teach children moral values
Raising Children
Republican Northeast Value and teach independence Distinct from European traditions
Rationalist Episcopal and Presbyterian Use advice and praise Invoked Enlightenment ideals Assume children are rational beings
Authoritarian Yeoman farmers (Baptist/Methodist) Strict rules, harsh discipline
Variations in Education Just as in Parenting
Unifying theme: Education increasingly important
Men who did not want women in politics disagreed w/education for both genders
Women and some men saw economic and social benefits of education
Women more likely to teach for sake of knowledge
Women hired as teachers because they could be paid less
Education for Republican & Economic Reasons
Republican: All citizens educated
Economic: Reading, writing and math
Economic: Discipline and respect for outside authority
Regional Variations
New England: Independence values intellectual development Locally funded elementary schools (reading & writing) Few women went on to high school 1% of men to college
o Rural Families (+artisans and laborers)o Demanded reading, writing & matho Believed college education to be elitist
o By 1820s merchants demanded more uniform education standards & state legislatures acted