Midterm Flashcards
What is the most accurate or significant way to write about the history of women?
i. It is important to realize that prior to the 1960s history focused on great men, believing it included everybody, even though not all genders, races, and classes were included.
ii. compensation history focused one what great and important women contributed to history
iii. Contribution history shows what women contributed in a male dominated society.
iv. women had much different experiences than men by the way their were raised and how they were treated by friends and family, and social life in genral
v. Margret Mead realized that not all women were treated and acted like western women. some even worked along side men
vi. women always worked, mostly unpaid and in the private sphere
vii.* pick whichever you think is most accurate
what accounts for English colonists’ view of Native American Women
men already had a set idea of how women should behave and act, which natives didn’t fit at all, such as the Iroquois, who were matrilineal.
a lot of native tribes had women as the head, which was unheard of for colonist men
believed native women were being used/abused since they actually did work and things for their community.
shamed the native women for having sex, since virginity and sex outside of marriage were extremely important.
thought that since they were women, they could manipulate them into getting what they wanted.
gender roles were almost the exact opposite of western people
was the colonial period a golden age for Chesapeake women?
no, because they were still meant to submit to men and do as they were told.
they were viewed as weaker in all senses
couldn’t own property, sue, keep earnings, etc
still had some powers though, like choosing a husband since there were many more single men than single women.
while they were able to remarry without a fuss like their English counterparts, they had to be married to survive.
the next generation caused the sex ratio to get close to equal, meaning that women’s rights began dwindling.
female indentured servants worked for 4-7 years, but if they got pregnant (which many did), they had years added onto their sentence.
not a golden time for them, because most had no real idea of what what occurring until they got there.
slave women were kidnapped and abused in all sorts of ways.
their children inherited their status, so once they began getting forced to have children simply for their owner to sell, was terrible.
treated like property
what was the social and economic position of women in colonial new England
society was very patriarchal, but husband was required by law to take care of family.
women were able to have some say in who they married.
young courting women could participate in group outings with other young couples and participate in bundling (a contract for spending the night with a partner).
women devoted an insane amount of time to childbirth and raising children.
women had 7-10 kids within their lifetime.
midwives helped deliver babies since male doctors could not be in the room
motherhood did not represent power, because fathers were the most important person in a child’s life.
once a daughter turned 6-8, a mother would teach her how to become a good wife.
some women did household chores for money, like making soap candles and clothes
could work with husbands or fathers if need be, but most were under/uneducated
church was the only place a woman could participate
although women were in a new place, traditions held strong and they were still viewed as lesser
Was the revolution a revolution for American women?
No, because they went in with nothing, and unfortunately left with nothing, even though they played a major role in helping America win and personal growth.
As the war brewed, women became aware of it, causing political awareness.
as the boycott started, women helped by creating homespun so they had to buy little to no British goods
EX: the daughters of liberty spun homespun in public, created bullets, passed out propaganda, and even helped the sons of liberty with the boston tea party.
women had to learn how to care for their families and protect themselves.
some women (20000) went to the battlefields to act as cooks or nurses since they could not survive on their own
some of these women, like Mary McCauley, fought in place of fallen soldiers
it was not a revolution for slaves or loyalists either.
many loyalists were too scared to stay and ran away.
about 30k slaves ended up joining the army on the side of the british army to get their freedom
however, many slaves were able to use this time of weakenss to get their freedom
overall, when the constitution was passed in 1788, women got nothing in return, partially because they didn’t ask, and another because this was the norm
women had hoped to be recongnized for their work by getting some rights, but this was just the groundwork for what would later take place
Was the cocept of republican motherhood of any real use to women?
to an extent, yes.
women had more power within the household, and were put in charge of raising their sons to be virtuous voters, which was very different from pre-revolution when men raised them.
women and men both began focusing more on love in a relationship which led to happier and healthier realationships all around.
when men started moving to the west, it caused an unbalanced sex ratio, leaving more women then men. women didnt get married as often, but many enjoyed the small taste of independence.
raising children enhanced the rights within the household.
education allowed women to learn new things and be treated similar to men during the school day.
however, women were allowed education for the simple fact of raising better children, not to get a job.
overall, women did have use out of the concept of republican motherhood, because they reicived many new rights.
did the cult of true womanhood expand women’s power and choices during the early 19th century?
no, because even though they were in mostly full control of the house and family since husbands no longer worked in the home, they still had a standard to live up to.
women were confinded to the private sphere, and they had a set of “rules” to follow, allowing them to be true women
piety- a woman had to be religoius and godly to keep her family safe
purity- virginity, most important thing for a woman to have
submissiveness- listen to men and do as they say
domesticity- keeping house and children well taken care of.
one good thing that came out of this was that women could tell husbands no to sex, because it could hurt their husbands
pseudoscience ran rampent, which discriminated against women all the more (ie: men having scientifically proven bigger brains).
women were able to make freinds with other women, and they helped each other out and most became very close.
overall, the CoTW did not expand womens powers, nor was it ensured that if she said no, she would be listened to.
Did domesticity have a significant impact on southern women’s lives?
No, they had less say than their northern counterparts.
had to be more submissive and obedient to their husbands
girls got educated,but not like girls in the north; they focused more on the arts and not the sciences
parents could still determine who their daughters married, and a lot ofthe time it was kept in the family
childhood and education did not prepare girls for married life; they were extremely overwhelmed and were seemingly always struggling.
women couldn’t say no to their husbands and had many children.
took slaves as wet nurses to breastfeed the children
struggled to properly care for all the slaves.
made worse by the fact their husbands could sleep with the same slaves they cared for
it was about the same for slaves; there were no seperate spheres, but had their own space and family.
slave women were highly sought after since they could have children that could make the white master money or increase his slave population
overall, southern women lived life much differently from nothern women, since they shared a doestic life with men. they were held up to a standard very few, if any, could meet.
Did religious motivations support women moving into the public sphere or limit it?
although religion may have prompted the movement, it definitely did not support the movement in the long run.
it began as women trying to help the community by fundraising for churches, the needy, and orphans.
as time went on, women began realizing how poorly some women were treated, and called for social and political reforms
they began to protest against prostitution and call men out for what they did; tried to help the prostitutes get out and find real, safer jobs
pastors called them out for this, claiming they were too public and needed to step back, which many did.
however, as abolition became more widespread and well-known, women entered the public sphere again.
women, like the grimke sisters, were able to publicly speak out against slavery, and there were many all-female campaigns being started.
this led to many riots and rebellions by men and even some women began pusing against them.
while religion had been the start of women becoming public, it did everything in its power to keep them from going further and getting any more rights.
Did the women’s rights movement benefit or suffer from its association with abolition?
Overall, it benefited from the abolition movement.
however, it was much more organized as one movement, before they broke into two seperate groups.
stanton and mott began the movement in 1948 in NY at seneca falls.
Anthony joined in 1850 and created reforms to allow women to control their own wages, allow women to file for divorce and keep children, and finally, the right for women to vote.
when the civil war began, women turned their attention to ending slavery.
when slaves were freed, and black men got the right to vote, it caused tension.
the movement broke up into the National woman’s sufferage assosiation and the amrican woman sufferage association.
one fought for rights and hte other fought to take amendments down.
overall, being with the abolitionist movement sped things up for women.
Did new work oppertunities for women during the industrail revoution encourage them to seek independence?
No, because at the end of the day, women only worked until they were married.
they worked simple jobs that didn’t require much training.
worked to help support family, and because they were cheaper to hire than men, many owners turned to hiring women.
white native born American women were the most often hired of women, with black women being last.
also, a lot of women were assaulted at their factory jobs.
national unions would not help women either, because they thought women were stopping men from getting raises/jobs.
women in the early 1900s began joining protective associations and working girls clubs, which helped girls find enjoyment outside of work.
in 1911, a factory burnt down and many over 100 girls died because managers had locked the fire escapes and the hoses were not connected to water.
the women’s trade union league was very upset and felt like they failed working women, so they began passing laws to help the women even more.
as laws were passed, owners became upset, and in Muller vs Oregon in 1908, the owner refused to follow new rules implemented for women, and he was fined, and the case went all the way to the supreme court, where the laws were considered constitutional.
as businesses expanded, more women were brought into department stores and offices, which was ideal for women since it was similar to the household.
since women didnt keep jobs for long and worked for marrigage, the revolution did not promote independence.
How did working class culture challenge the views of true womanhood.
in every way imaginable.
working girls pushed their way into the public sphere.
girls began going to dance halls after work to meet young men.
new amusement parks, like coney island were created, which promoted heterosexual activies.
young men and women went together, promoting heterosexual activity.
most girls depended on young men to pay for them, and charity girls traded sexual favors for gifts in return.
YWCA and girl’s friendly societies promoted healthy and less public relaxation for women.
dance halls and amusement parks stayed a big hit, since they allowed women to be more independent.
middle class women looked down on working class girls since they did not meet the four pilars of true womanhood.
