Republican Motherhood Blog

1. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of huswifery to Republican Motherhood?

The Revolutionary War played a part in the transformation of huswifery to Republican Motherhood.
Originally the women were supposed to be focused on raising children and taking care of the children but, after the war there was a lot of patriotism. This led to women being leaned upon to train and teach their children to be good citizens (Document A). After the Revolutionary War the colonists wanted good, loyal patriots to be the next up and coming citizens. They wanted the sons of the women well versed in the principles of liberty and government (Document B). Women were able to instruct their sons on how to be good citizens, maybe one day having a governmental position, because they ran the house and their offspring look up to them for guidance (Document A).

2. What were the consequences of the Republican Motherhood on women?

Women were given more responsibility in raising "good citizens" (Document A). There was a very high expectation for these women who not only had to manage the house and home, but also teach their sons the principles of government and liberty (Document B). Women, because of the Republican Motherhood, were given more tasks and responsibilities that were to be done for the sake of themselves and the country. All of the responsibilities could be considered as a burden and nuissance because "she may never herself step beyond the threshold" of her home meaning her work was only in the home (Document D).

3. What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the proccess of women's socialization?

There was a greater push for women to be educated in things that they normally would not be educated in like English, writing, geography, figures, bookkeeping, and chronology (Document D). This was so that a women would be at least educated enough to be able to teach their sons how to be good people. As the women became educated they were able to socialize much easier.

1. A women, Mrs. Tilghman is sitting on a couch with her two children. The dress of family shows that they could have some wealth. The child that is on the right is holding a bluejay. The women is holding a child on her lap. One child, the one on her lap, is wearing a dress while the other is wearing a blue suilt with a pinkish sash. The painting is of the home where the women spent time caring for their children.

2. In the center of the portrait is the women, Mrs. Tilghman because she is the one that will end up training the next generation of great citizens for the country. She is therefore the central figure in the household. She is not aristocratic because her hair is not in an overly fancy hairdo and her dress is not adorned with an excessive amount of jewels nor is she wearing any jewelry.

3. Her sons exhibit the importance of the women in society because the women are the ones that are training the new citizens. Her sons both look like good-natured and calm boys that were most likely taught to them by their mother.

4. The postition of the arm could symbolize the influence she has over her sons. The arm over the child could show that she is the protector and teacher to the child. This would mean that she has a significant amount of influence over her children.