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Deprecated: header(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($response_code) of type int is deprecated in /home/umwhisto/public_html/mcclurken/wiki/includes/WebResponse.php on line 38 https://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=MbdillaneMcClurken Wiki - User contributions [en]2026-09-18T22:19:18ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.22.0https://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_15_Questions/CommentsWeek 15 Questions/Comments2007-12-06T05:25:49Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>One of the things that stood out to me during these readings was in "The Office Clerk" when the office manager was listing all of the reasons women were superior towards men for these positions. Among these reasons were that they almost always present for the work day and not making up silly excuses for an absence and the precision that they conducted their work in. I found it surprising that this man had such high praise for women. Could he have been saying this to the interviewer (Clara Lanza) to appease the female crowd who would be reading her article? Or did he really feel this way towards his female workers? Did the fact that companies could get away with paying women less than men factor into this appreciation for women clerks? - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I found the article "Objections to Domestic Service" in that Lucy Salmon polled servants and their employers and from that managed to come up with a list of disadvantages. These disadvantages were an effort to dissuade young, American born women from entering this type of service. Such "industrial disadvantages" include "lack of all opportunity for promotion," "lack of organization in the service," "irregularity in working hours," "competition with the foreign born and the negro element," and "the interference with work often by those less skilled than the workers themselves." I can understand Salmon's reasoning for wanting to keep women from working as domestic servants. However, I'm slightly confused when she comments on how with the professions of seamstresses, clerks, trained nurses, and teachers can lead to promotions in the working environment. So in that sense, Salmon is urging women to pursue jobs other than domestic servitude. But is she at all encouraging them to return to the home? -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I think, in response to Vanessa's question, that Lucy Salmon felt that she was encouraging women to return to the home. Where else would they be if not in the work place? They would be at home with their housework and their families. By expressing the disadvantages of the working world she was able to show women what they would be missing from their home if they joined the workforce, without listing all the things to be done at home and the need to be at home. For some that would probably encourage them to work. Also I think that Lucy Salmon was well aware that the majority of women in the workforce were working because they had to to support their families and they would return to the home if it was possible. --Mary P.<br />
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I liked the interview contained in Lucy Maynard Salmon’s piece called "Objections to Domestic Service". I thought it was interesting that the girl answering the question “Why do girls dislike domestic service?” says that factory workers are smarter, make better wives, and have cleaner homes while domestic workers that get married become careless and lazy with their housework even though that was their job before marriage and they should probably know how to do it well. I don’t think she really has any proof of this, it’s more about reassuring herself and everyone else that she is in fact a good candidate for marriage. She probably saw marriage as a way out of factory work.-- Jennifer Feldhaus<br />
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In Julia Ward Howe's writing under "The Joys of Activism," whether this is intended as propaganda or not, it certainly could be and nicely done. I love how she describes the moment she realized that women could and should do better than where they were. "During the first two thirds of my life I looked to the masculine ideal of character as the only true one... In an unexpected hour a new light came to me... The new domain now made clear to me was that of true womanhood - woman no longer in her ancillary relation to her opposite, man, but in her direct relation to the divine plan and purpose, as a free agent, fully sharing with man every human right and every human responsibility." She's certainly encouraging any that read this that she 'saw the light' you could say and the reader can have these realizations too. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I found "Working Women Debate Woman Suffrage" very interesting, especially the entries from "Americus". The person writing these seemed to be extremely bitter towards men. She states that "we won't stay at home any more and cook and wash dishes either; we've done it long enough; let 'him' do it a little while."(Woloch 366) It just seems like she's extremely bitter that women do so much work with raising children and keeping the house clean, but men appear to go out have a good time with their friends and thats it. -Elizabeth frank<br />
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When reading "We Are All Bound up Together," I found it telling when Frances Ellen Harper related her story of life after losing her husband. She was left with four children and no money. Someone even took her to court over a bed. She then discusses how if she had been a man, she would have been remarried by now and would not be facing economic hardship. --E. Hufford<br />
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Isabel Eaton really exemplifies the challenge black men and women faced in finding jobs. There was no guarentee that they would get a job and often times they settled for domestic service. Even if they were educated, "white help" was always preferred. Many people gave up trying to find work outside of the domestic service branch because of this ideology. Black men and women were also refused domestic jobs because of the color of their skin in many cases. --E. Hufford<br />
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Going along with the comment above me, I thought Isabel Eaton's survey of black servant workers was really interesting. The fact that she learned black men and women stuck with domestic servitude regardless of how terrible the job was because they feared rejection is just heartbreaking. I also was intrigued by how one of the reasons they gave to themselves about rejection for domestic servitude was because "if the mistresses has bad luck with one colored girl they won't never have another." It's just a terrible understanding and way of living and it really shows how, even though they were emancipated and technically free, it was like they were still slaves, except this time they were being paid a very minimal amount of money. -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I agree with both comments pertaining to Isabel Eaton's account of black workers. Their situation was really a horrible and sad thing. I think it's also interesting to note that Eaton was conducting her survey in the North where many people fought against slavery, yet, as Kelly said, the people participating in the survey were essentially still slaves.--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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I found Leonora Barry's piece on the Knights of Labor to be very interesting. I thought that it showed many of the characteristics mentioned by some of the other readings, the fact that she was a widow with three children for example. She seemed however, to be a very strong woman, one who embrassed her work and her position as master workman. What I found really interesting was that she and others went around educating the children in the factories and such and pushing for the children who are working to be educated in an effort to erase the social and economic situation that causes the circumstances that drive mothers into the workplace. --Mary P.<br />
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I also thought the "Office Clerk" by Clara Lanza was an interesting document. I thought it was particularly intersting how it said that women never complained about things like "...the temperature of the building [being] too hot or too cold or that the light is not properly adjusted." Women might not have complained about things like the temperature or light, because they were happy to be able to have a job period that was outside of the home. Men however, could complain about those things and easily get a new job if their current job didn't suit them. ~K. Stinson~<br />
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One trait that I found interesting in “The Office Clerk” was the insistence that office work did not make women unfit for marriage. In fact, the author claims that employment offers these young women the opportunities to meet and wed eligible bachelors, and these working girls often make particularly fine wives. I particularly enjoyed the claim that “men have outgrown their admiration for feminine helplessness and have come to look upon independence as something worth having.” I have to wonder how much of that was actually true and how much was simply the hope of the female author. Unfortunately, we still have women today who fake ignorance or weakness to attract men; how common would it have been in the 19th century? --Ashley H.<br />
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I also noticed the focus on marriage in "The Office Clerk." In my opinion, the author insisted on this point because she wanted to emphasize that a woman could work as an office clerk and still be a part of the domestic sphere. It showed that, as single woman, it was okay for them to work. It even helped them find a good husband to support them. - F. Cobb<br />
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I particularly enjoyed Sadie Frowne's account of her life as a garment worker in a sweatshop. I associated many of the things she said with stories I remember from older relatives. Much of her story was familiar--the constant machines, the long hours, the appreciation for the union, the freedom of life as an independent factory worker, her immigrant status. But at the same time, many of the details were unique, which made her story feel new. I haven't heard this story about Polish immigrant workers as frequently. I've read stories about days off at pleasure areas like Coney Island, but rarely has the location been Coney Island. Sadie's concerns about not being a socialist or an anarchist make sense in light of the paperwork immigrants had to sign and the great concerns about labor's connections to socialism. I found her acknowledgment that she didn't even know what she was denying very touching. --A. Meyer<br />
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What really struck me about "A Sweatshop Girl's Story" was how Sadie Frowne felt about injuries sustained on the job in factories. From the way she was talking, she made it seem like these injuries were no big deal. If you hurt your finger, you just wrap it with a bit of cotton, if the injury is worse than that, you may have to have that finger amputated, but, you just accept it and go on with your life. Maybe injuries like that were so common in those factories, that it truely was no big deal. ~K. Stinson~<br />
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The excerpt I enjoyed the most was Sadie Frowne's tale, A Sweatshop Girl's Story. Quite a few things stuck out to me. First, I always assumed that women hated working in the factories because all you hear is how back breaking and boring the work is but she seems to take it in stride. She even talks about how nice it was when the union fought and won for them to "only work nine and half hours." She understood that if she worked hard sooner or later she would fulfill her own American Dream (did that concept exist then?). I was wondering when she says, on page 309 that "Harry has seen me home every night for a long time and makes love to me," if she meant pre-marital sex because she says it so non-chalantly. I agree with K. Stinson that I found it very strange how she described getting hurt in the work place as no big deal. Basically the vibe I got from her account was that while she was proud of her independence, her whole life was based around trying to become the accepted middle class girl. She talks about reading and educating herself, saving money, how ignorant people are low, and how a girl needs to have nice clothes in order to get into high society. -- Emily Miller<br />
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In response to Emily's comment on "A Sweatshop Girl's Story," I've read works where "making love" simply referred to wooing or courtship, not necessarily pre-marital sex, so I think it's quite possible that Frowne is using this meaning here. Additionally, I liked this piece for its depiction of a complete life which included work, school, a boyfriend, and entertainment such as dancing and theater. The lives of these women were difficult, but they were not all drudgery. Frowne remarks, "at the end of the day one feels so weak that there is a great temptation to lie right down and sleep. But you must go out and get air, and have some pleasure." I wonder if this attitude was common among the working women, or if this is an unusual example of girlish optimism and enthusiasm for life. --Ashley H.<br />
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I found the letter written by Americus from "Working Women Debate Suffrage" quite intriguing. She mocked equality by chosing to point out the most grotesque male qualities and declaring that now women could partake in them since they were equal. For instance, spitting tobacco, talking in slang, and snoring were all characteristics she declared women could now mimic. Reading this in the sarcastic manner for which it was intended, it can serve as an example of how some working class women saw suffrage as a threat to the familiar. Although many working class women supported equal wages, it did not necessarily mean they wanted the right to vote. In the introduction, Woloch points out that many working class women identified themselves more with their class than their gender, and some of these women felt suffrage only threatened class unity.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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I agree with Lisa, these letters really helped me to understand where women against womans suffrage were coming from. Americus is really very interesting and while "spitting tobacco juice upon the trowsers of the gentlemen who pass" is not on the top of my list of things to do, I can understand why she feels threatened. --Allison Johnson<br />
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I also found the Americus letter interesting, since I've had a hard time understanding arguments (beyond the ones from women who preferred to stay at home and were happy with the lives they led) against female-male equality. I've heard arguments about the potential problems with true equality (nursing mothers being drafted, etc)made in a modern sense, but this was one of the first real accounts I'd read of the problems with true equality and suffrage. --A. Meyer<br />
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In response to Lisa and Andrea, though, I was impressed with Ella A. Little's letter to the editor that was a response to Americus. She acknowledged what we had learned, which is that there were women who were completely content with being taken care of by their husbands and happy with the lives they were leading. But I really loved when she went on to address that they knew little about the hardships a majority of women faced and how often these women really wanted to make a change or earn a bit more equality and never had a way to express their interests or desires and voting was the way for them to accomplish those goals. It really must have struck a nerve when she said those women opposed to suffrage must thank their good luck since most women did not have their luxuries. -Kelly Wuyscik <br />
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In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Ills of the Home", she makes a profound observation when she says, "The permanent error of the housewife lies in the assumption that her love for her family makes her service satisfactorily." A mother washes the clothes, fixes the meals, and cleans the house because she loves her family, but that's not saying if she didn't do those things she would love them less. Gilman makes a great point here when she suggests that one of the reasons mothers have so much difficulty entering the workforce is because they are met with such guilt from society; a society which does not comprehend that mothers may interpret these chores as duties and may need to look elsewhere for personal fulfillment.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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Reading "We Are All Bound up Together" reminded me of the very first readings we did in this class, which stated that one could not simply study "women's history," because it was a complex topic that had a lot different aspects. This text shows that much, by pointing out that indeed the position of black women was much different than the position of white women. Harper points out an example using the street cars. She notes that white women speak of "rights," but that she is speaking of the wrongs done to her race and gender -that everybody is against her. The article "An Anti-Speaks Out" had an interesting tidbit, saying: "While more practical and sensible women are tyring to put their kitchens...in order.." This makes me wonder what the ration of married to unmarried women are in the suffragist movement compared to the anti-suffragist movement. If I had to guess, it would be that anti-suffragists are more often in a marriage. <br />
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I liked the piece "Political Lessons" by Stanton and Anthony. Both of these women were great and persuasive writers. I know we had talked about how the NWSA did not accept male members, but I was surprised that they explicitly said that men could not join. This piece really shows that that the NWSA was much more militant and aggressive than the AWSA. - F. Cobb<br />
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I was surprised when Barry wrote about child labor in "A Labor Organizer." She mentions that Pennsylvania had 125,00 children under the age of 15 working in workshops, factories and mines. I was surprised their were so many, and what made PA so bad in this respect? I'm glad the Knights of Labor worked to elevate women and put them in the classroom to be educated. --Alex K.<br />
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In "A Sweatshops Girl's Story" I was surprised about how calm she was about all the injuries that took place. She mentions needles going through the nail or finger and sometimes splintering the bone yet doesn't seem to upset by it. Was she just used to it? Did she assume she couldn't do better? Or was it really not all that bad? --Alex K.<br />
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While "Shop Girls and Piece Workers" was not shocking to me, I couldn't help but wonder if it would actually have been shocking to women of the day. I mean, even middle or upper class women had to be aware of what lower class women were doing. So did this book actually shock any one at the time?-- Allison Johnson<br />
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I agree with Lisa's comments on "The Ills of the Home". I do feel that many women must have wished to engage in a skilled labor, especially those of the lower classes. While the need to provide monetary support is undoubtedly a major motivator, its seems the support of societal development also played a part. There seems to be a disconnect between housework and advancing society within the article. I wonder how much this sentiment was shared throughout the female community of the period. --Robert Kopp<br />
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The piece by Isabel Eaton in response to black servants in Philadelphia was very interesting. At first I read the piece without taking in the context of where this was occurring, which was not a southern city, but a northern city. We discussed some in class about the difficulty blacks faced in the South trying to find jobs, particularly with their skills focused mostly on agriculture, but I had not given it much thought for northern cities. Eaton touched on the idea that many white women chose other white women over domestic servants, which is a practice that makes sense in the post Civil War South, but what factors influenced white women’s decisions to not hire blacks in the North? Was it purely racism? Bitterness in the post war era? I would think white women could pay black women less, so in a market where supply and demand is crucial, white women could take advantage of high numbers of domestic servants to obtain high quality service for low prices. Was this not the case? Is there evidence of the same practices in other large, northern cities? -Mary Beth Dillane</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_14_Questions/CommentsWeek 14 Questions/Comments2007-11-29T04:18:51Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>I enjoyed reading the account of Louisa May Alcott in Woloch when she was describing her period of nursing in the hospital. I knew that the conditions were bad but reading that account really made it clearer what they had to deal with, such as the lack of ventilation, which of course would not have helped the wounded and sick heal.- Elizabeth Lynn Frank<br />
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I also found Alcott's journal interesting because she seems to be a woman looking for opportunity. She writes of "pent up energy" and a want of "new experiences." She seemed to have personal hopes the exceed what was allowed for women in the doctrine of separate spheres. Alcott took advantage of the war to gain new experiences.--Kelly Martin <br />
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Alcott's journal seems to shed light on who these women nurses actually were. I typically find myself going along with the static ideas we may have about what they thought and felt, but this really shows their character behind the facade of who they are, as well as give insight as to what they were going through, why they were, and what kept them going. "Though often homesick, heartsick, and worn out, I like it, find real pleasure in comforting, tending, and cheering these poor souls who seem to love me..." and "Up at six, dress by gaslight, run through my ward and throw up windows... poke the fire, add blankets, joke, coax, and command." She also shows the affection nurses grew to have for their patients, at one point calling them her "big babies" and "my boys" which I thought was cute and funny. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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Alcott's piece also shows how a certain type of women were attracted to the nursing profession: young, single, and adventurous. -- F. Cobb<br />
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Having long been an admirer of Louisa May Alcott's writings I was thrilled and facinated to read her journal about her time as a nurse. Her writing style was such that you can almost see what she was seeing and feel what she felt. It was also an example of what we talked about in class, women taking opportunities to go and do something that they otherwise would not have and that they were just as susceptible to illness as their patients. --Mary P.<br />
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Alcott's journal was so interesting. What a great view into why a woman would become a nurse. Its so interesting that she saw this not only as a way to help her country, but also as a way to help her family (by giving them one less mouth to feed). It is also interesting that she sees becoming a nurse as "taking my life in my hand." Obviously the women saw themselves as making just as much of a sacrifice as male soldiers. -- Allison Johnson <br />
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Since the men have left/ Women take over the farm/ We do what we must. (Inspired by "Northern Women on Farms"; he did say we could do haikus). I liked reading this account because to me it shows how much women were willing to change in some cases in order to adjust to the men leaving for war and in order to make the farm continue to succeed. These women were great motivators, or could have been if they had encouraged others to do the same.- Elizabeth Lynn Frank<br />
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After reading Clarissa Burdett's affidavit, I was surprised that Burdett would run away and leave her children behind, potentially to suffer the same abuse she endured. Because Burdett's torture was the punishment for her husband and niece's running away, wouldn't Burdett's running away cause the master to be especially cruel to her children?-- Kelly Martin<br />
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I can only imagine the pain and anguish that Clarissa Burdett experienced. That said, I would think that she had to make a descision at that moment, to run away to to be potentialy beaten to death. If her master beats her to death there is still no one there to protect her children. She knew that she could not take them with her, so she made the desicion to leave them and sought help from the Union army to help her remove her children from the situation. I wish that we could know from the readings what became of her and her children, but in my opinion she choose the only option that she thought was available to her that was in the potential best interest of her and her children. --Mary P.<br />
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In Eva Jones' letters, there was one thing she said that seemed to emphasize what we discussed in class as to the shock of some southerns that their slaves were not in fact happy and left. "Adelline, Grace, and Polly have all departed in search of freedom, without bidding any of us an affectionate adieu." -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I found Eva Jones's letters interesting because they presented a perspective I had never considered before: that of the wealthy Southern white woman. I would not usually think of these women as victims, but, as was mentioned in class, they experienced dramatic changes after the end of the war. I even pitied Jones when she wrote, "I expect before long to become a very efficient chambermaid and seamstress, though the latter comes very hard to my poor unused fingers." It must have been a difficult transition for women used to commanding slaves rather than doing their own domestic labor. -- Ashley H. <br />
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I found Eva Jones' entry quite insightful. She mentions some of her slaves voluntarily stayed after the War, which brings about a question I have always pondered and hope that perhaps someone can shed some light on, why did slaves remain on plantations with their masters and mistresses? How often did this occur? Is it mainly a phenomenon seen with elderly slaves who could not travel or start fresh?- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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I was surprised by the women who strongly criticized other women following the Civil War, did they do this only because they were unable to directly attack men? - F. Cobb<br />
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In Mary Anderson's story, I'm surprised to hear of how many slaves actually returned to their former masters' homes. She said that once she and a large portion of her family moved back, she got married and had several kids, but she doesn't mention what life was like or how they lived. I assume that this was maybe a sharecropping arrangement? -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I know I've commented a lot already, but I was just so struck by Ada Bacot's comments that I had to comment at least one more time. She vehemently hates the two Yankee soldiers that were wounded and placed in her ward. "It will be hard to treat them as I do the other men but I know it is my duty." So despite her hatred, she does what she has to do as a nurse. But the last line emphasizes that hatred when she says, "I have never inquired there names nor do I intend to." Ouch. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I found Ada Bacot's Comments on Two Wounded Yankees interesting. She comments that it is her duty to care for the wounded Yankee soldiers though it troubles her to do so. This just reaffirms the concept that women came to the front during the war and embraced a sense of duty--for some this was caring for men despite their Yankee or Confederate affiliation. --E. Hufford<br />
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I was surprised to read Sarah Morgan's account especially when she said, "But if I can't fight, being unfortunately a woman, which I now regret for the first time in my life...." I found this to be quite a radical statment considering the societal ideology of a woman's place. How many other women felt this way at the time of war? --E. Hufford<br />
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I too found Sarah Morgan's statement, "But if I can't fight, being unfortunately a woman, which I now regret for the first time in my life....", a bit radical considering a woman's place in society at the time.-Katie D.<br />
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I thought Cornelia Hancock's account in Major Problems was intersting. What I thought was particularly interesting was how Hancock could handle the sight of blood and watch amputations take place, but when she had to write home for a soldier, she couldn't do so without crying. I guess she had seen so many amputation take place that they no longer bothered her. I also want to know what kind of qualifications that a man needed to be a surgeon. To be a surgeon would a man have to already be a practicing doctor or could a surgeon be anyone willing to do the job? ~Katherine Stinson~<br />
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I really liked the accounts written by the nurses during the Civil War, particularly the account written by Maria Daly who was a New Yorker. Her details of the Southern nurses really emphasizes how little they wanted to be there and how different cultures were between the north and the south. One thing that really stuck out to me was the line, "I lose all patience when I think of these demonic Southern women, whose pride and arrogance have had so much to do with this fearful state of things." It just makes it so much clearer the difference between northern women and southern women. -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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Sarah Morgan's declaration of being a rebel also intrigued me quite a bit. I remember during the lecture how women in the South practically (totally) forced their male relatives to fight in the war, and this declaration just seemed to be the epitome of that. She seems so enthusiastic to be a Southerner that I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up dressing like a man to go fight or threw her male relatives onto the fields. Although she mentions that she was hesitant about the war at first, he attitude seems completely changed and it makes me wonder if this was a result of propaganda and public opinion, or if she was trying to boost moral for other southerners? -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I enjoyed Lincoln's comments on the contributions of women: "I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women. But I must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women, was applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!" I'm not sure I have anything to say about it; I just thought it was a pretty fantastic quote. -Ashley H.<br />
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Mary Livermore's writing in Major Problems was interesting because she believes that the heroism and unity of women during the Civil War was comparable to that of the men that were center stage doing the fighting. I think it was meant to be uplifting for women at the time. She wanted to show that women did play an important role as caretakers in the Civil War. -- Jennifer Feldhaus<br />
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Ada was not uncommon in her feelings towards the Yankee soldiers. Newspapers in the South tended to portray Yankees as “The Northern serpent, who has penetrated the Southern Eden… proposes to harm no one--to disturb nobody's private rights....” The newspapers insinuated how no one will forget “the cruelties practised [sic] upon our loyal and true citizens, the brutal treatment of women….” The quotes were taken from Virginia Center for Digital History, “Staunton Spectator,” The Valley of the Shadow, http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/newspapersp2.html. ---Cheryl<br />
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There seems to be a sense of fear in Louticia Jackson's letter about her slave Willes continual disobedience. Her last line reads: "He does seem so wicked [that] if any one was to come upon him about his conduct I do not know what he would do afterwards." When I consider how black male slaves were viewed by people as ready to commit any terrible crime, such as raping a helpless white woman, her fear does really seem really deeply felt. There really doesn't seem like there is anything she can do...its not like she could easily go get her neighbors to come and help. In a way, power has shifted to the slaves in a sort of hidden way. -Christopher Plummer<br />
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In "Teaching the Freedmen", Sarah Chase claims to have 140 pupils. This seems like an outrageously high number. Was such a large student:teacher ratio common in these post-war schools?- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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I wrote my paper on Louisa May Alcott so I was familiar with her diary describing her experience as an army nurse during the Civil War. Alcott fell very ill while working and it took her almost three months to recuperate after she returned home. Even though her work almost killed her Louisa continued to help in the war effort in any way that she could. For instance she rallied other women in Concord to sew for the soldiers. –Caitlin Quinn<br />
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I found the division between the women of the North and the women of the South completely fascinating. When Sarah Morgan stated, “Yes! I am glad we are two distinct tribes,” in combination with the piece by Caroline Kirkland, made it clear how prideful each side was. I think when we talked in class about sectional pride and the role of women in recruiting and setting the standards of men being soldiers I did not truly grasp the almost competition-like atmosphere created. Are there other examples of women or groups taking such passionate sides of soldiers? Can anyone think of modern-day examples of women standing so passionately next to their men for a cause? -Mary Beth D.</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_12_Questions/CommentsWeek 12 Questions/Comments2007-11-15T03:47:00Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>In Woloch's reading, (O, Ye Daughters of Africa, Awake!), Maria Stewart, a black Bostonian, played a special role in public life and women's history. When the abolitionist movement began, William Lloyd Garrison published some of her essays in his antislavery journal. In her essays, I really liked how Stewart urged women to pursue self-improvement and assert their rights. A lot of her message was aimed at African American women. -Katie D.<br />
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I agree with Katie but I'd also like to point something else out about the piece "O, Ye Daughters of Africa, Awake!" All throughout Maria Stewart's account, she used revolutionary rhetoric, more often than not using the word "liberty." She also consistently brought up freedoms such as the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech, and it just emphasizes what we learned in class that this revolutionary rhetoric was coming back to haunt the upper and middle class white men that the rhetoric was supposed to apply to. -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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When reading Lucy Stone's Marriage Protest, in Woloch's book, I found it interesting that when the couple took their vows, each partner signed a unique marriage "protest". This protest was also read as part of their ceremony! -Katie D.<br />
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I really feel that Lucy Stone epitomizes the definition of a feminist, the one that will lead to our modern day definition/perception. She kept her own name, she "refused to 'obey', and challenged the system..." The protest itself is riddled with a woman's absolute independence. It takes away any traditional patriarchal "laws" and demands equality from both man and woman. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I was also interested by Lucy Stone's marriage protest, probably because it was so not what one would expect from a woman from the mid 1800s, at least I assume this was irregular. The things that she was protesting we take for advantage that we dont have to worry about them. For instance women today dont have to worry about their legal existence disappearing with marriage. But for her the things that many women seemed to just accept as their fate she rebelled against. I was also intreged that she kept her own name. --Mary P.<br />
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I was equally intrigued by the marriage of Lucy Stone and was curious if we know anything about how Henry Blackwell was treated after agreeing to this marriage protest. Was he ridiculed by men for not being able to "control" his wife? Was he embraced by woman for being the ideal husband for letting his wife have rights? Or was he simply ignored, as if this case was not out of the ordinary in any way?- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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The fact that Henry Blackwell actually agreed to sign the Marriage Protest was what surprised me. We don't see a lot of men willing to give up that kind of power over their wives before and during this time period. Was he a women's rights activist? -- Jennifer Feldhaus<br />
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When I read the piece, "Seduced and Abandoned," in the Woloch book, I could not help but start laughing. I understand that it is not a laughing matter that girl was abandoned by her "fiance" and had to become a prostitute, but the way in which it was written screamed propaganda. The way the innocent girl from the country was persuaded to elope by a villain from the city and then was decoyed into becoming a prostitute only until meeting up with a wholesome man from her hometown is just too unreal. It is amazing how this scenario is consistently used and tweaked to support different causes. But it really shows how the moral reform movement was determined to deliver people to the side of God and how women were at the forefront since the piece was obviously written by a woman. -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I agree with Kelly about "Seduced and Abandoned" being so blantantly propagandistic. I have read many similar stories in literature of the day. I wonder, however, how common a story this really was. I realize that it's not exactly something we can get statistics on. I'm sure that it happened quite a bit. However, it seems likely that at least some of these tales are either altered for effect or completely made up. I'm curious as to how the public perception of danger to their daughters compared with reality. --Ashley H. <br />
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I was very intrigued by the Declaration of Sentiments drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The way she manipulated the Declaration of Independence is the perfect example of women using revolutionary rhetoric to get what they want. If you placed the two next to one another and asked someone to tell the difference, I think it would take quite a bit of reading (probably up until she starts blaming men for everything) before they could figure it out. Stanton proved to be very clever and I just hope there were many more women like her fighting for what they believed. -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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In Woloch, the "Letter to the Liberator" piece really seemed to strike at the heart of women and their role in reform. and specifically this letter addresses slavery. "Woman has a place, for she forms a part in God's created intelligent instrumentality to reform the world. God never made her to be inactive - nor in all cases to follow in the wake of man... We believe God gave woman a heart to feel - an eye to weep - a hand to work - a tongue to speak. Now let her use that tongue to speak on slavery." Those words state that is every woman's right and responsibility and duty to play an active role in reform. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I enjoyed the rhetoric of liberty and patriotism used in the "Letter to the Liberator." Emery writes, "Is not woman abused--woman trampled upon---woman spoiled of her virtue . . . and this, not in India---not in China---not in Turkey---not in Africa---but in America . . . in the birthplace of Washington, the father of freedom, the protector of women, the friend of equality and human rights!" Emery reminds Americans of their own fight for freedom, and she calls for America to become a morally superior nation. Even the use of the phrase, "On such a creed, we base the constitution, which binds us together," feels reminiscent of the writings of the founding fathers. ---Ashley H. <br />
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I thought it was very interesting to read about Sojourner Truth and how she felt about the situtation and the rehtoric that she used. Up until this point the majority of women we have heard from have been white, middle-upper class women with very good educations. But here is a woman who was a slave, who cannot read or write. She was also deeply religious and I thought it was very interesting to read her speach and reading the various Biblical references that she makes to prove her point, as well as using her life story to express her belief in women's rights. --Mary P.<br />
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It was interesting to read that when Elizabeth Cady Stanton urged women to secure the vote in the “Declaration of Sentiments” other women’s rights supporters felt it would make the “whole movement ridiculous.” I am sure that none of them could imagine that <br />
the right of suffrage would end up becoming the cornerstone of the women’s rights movement. <br />
It was really interesting that Lucy Stone decided to get married and at the same time challenged the institution of marriage which had forced women to give up their rights. I found it remarkable that she even had her husband sign a “marriage protest” and the document was published in a newspaper. We’ve read about other women who have refused to get married because they did not want to lose their rights but Mrs. Stone was the first one who challenged the marriage system of her day.-Caitlin Quinn<br />
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I also thought it was interesting that securing the vote for women almost didn't appear in the Seneca Falls Convention's Declaration of Sentiments because of support issues. Now it's really the first thing anyone thinks about when they hear the word Seneca Falls Convention. Maybe people though that women would be asking for too much in too short of a time period if they included voting. Or maybe they though that it would overshadow some of the other things they were trying to accomplish. -- Jennifer Feldhaus <br />
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It amazes me that almost every arguement used for or against Women's rights involved biblical references. Women arguesd God made them just as intelligent and capable as men and men, like the editor of Harper's Magazine, argued that the Women's rights movements were "opposed as it was to divine revelation, time-honored proprieties, and biblical authority." (158) I wonder what the arguements would be if God, The Creator, or religion weren't allowed to be invovled. Even though during this period the Great Awakening was peaking, I wonder what women who did not follow that movement and were less-religious thought. What were their arguements? "The American Femal More Refore Society Warns Mothers About "Solitary Vice" was to me a hysterical piece. I found it particularly funny that they called it a "body and ''soul-destroying'' sin." -- Emily Miller<br />
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I thought the article on Sojourner Truth was very interesting. It was great to get her perspective on women't rights. I agree with Mary P that her use of Biblical references were a great way to make her point and the fact that as a slave she probably worked harder everyday than a lot of white men did at the time just proved that women could do anything the men could do. <br />
I also found the Marriage Protest by Lucy Stone interesting to say the least. That is definately extreme feminism for that time. I can see why she was "ridiculed and persecuted" but if you are that against the ideas of marriage at that time why go through a marriage at all? Why not stay single and just live together? Although I don't know how radical that idea would have been at the time but at least you kept your identity. ~~ Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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I found the first 2 documents in MP pages 141- 143 a bit too flowery. The woman who is addressing the other ladies paints a lovely picture of all the good that they have accomplished for the poor. It makes me wonder if they spent most of their time patting their selves on the back rather than doing foot work on the street helping out the poor. ---Cheryl<br />
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The two documents by Isabella Graham were a bit flowery, but it is interesting to note that she says "the men could not allow our sex the steadiness and perserverance necessary to establish such an undertaking." It is so interesting how women are really beginning to use the 'us vs. them' approach when talking about women and men. Girl Power! -- Allison Johnson<br />
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I, too, enjoyed the speech by Sojourner Truth, but what I found most interesting was the inclusion of southern dialect by Frances Gage. Obviously, being that Sojourner was from a Dutch-speaking New York family, her accent would have been anything but Southern. Perhaps by making Sojourner sound like a Southern slave, Gage was trying to appeal to Southern slaveowners. When Gage wrote this version of Sojourner's speech, it was during the Civil War and at the height of the Abolitionist movement. This context obviously influenced how/what she chose to emphasize from Sojourner's speech.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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I really enjoyed the essay on Sojourner Truth. She spoke well on equal rights. Her comparisons of physical strengths and intelligence as qualifiers for equal rights should have been an eye opener for all there. She showed that women could be physically strong, intelligent and take a great amount of pain. I like when she spoke how someone had said women can’t have equal rights because Jesus wasn’t a women. I have heard similar musing before in women’s groups how all men come from women. She is a very inspiring speaker.---Cheryl<br />
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One of the things that stood out to me about Sojourner Truth Speaks was that not only did she use biblical references in a way she seemed to be challenging the traditional held views of the church, especially when she talks about how since Eve did sin first men should stop holding women back but instead allow them a chance to make up for what "they" did. -Elizabeth Frank<br />
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In the essay "Free Black Women in the Abolitionist Movement" I found all the different factors that made it more acceptable for black women to speak publicly very interesting. While female speakers are still not fully accepted by all, the need that black men saw for the abolition cause seems to temporarily out weigh gender stereotypes. -- Allison Johnson<br />
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The "Seduced and Abandoned" article portrayed the young girl in the story as kinda mindless. She is just an innocent young girl swept up by the objective evil that causes her to fall into bad things. Her rescue, is kinda odd, since the business man from her village just happened to go to the circus that one time, as a grand exception. Of course, he saves her. Such a story is in direct contrast with the other articles, such as "O, Ye Daughters of Africa, Awake!" and "Reply to the Massachusetts Clergy." I certainly don't think that some girls did end up in terrible situations that they could not forsee, but I do get the sense that these grand moral reform ideas implicitly included female mindlessness. I suppose it all relates to women being the passionless, moral barometer of society who only have experience in the pure household. Of course, Sarah Grimke made the exact opposite statement when she wrote that womens displacement from equality has "introduced confusion into the world." pg 239 For her, inequality is the problem, for the minister she is responding to, it is equality. Its such a polarized mindset. I wonder if Lucy and Henry's marriage was deemed null if they signed agreements that were in direct contrast with the law regarding marriage at the time... -Chris Plummer<br />
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The piece “Free Black Women in the Abolitionist Movement” touched briefly on the gender and race expectations of the time and how women reformers rebelled against these stereotypes. I know some of the pieces touched upon the idea of solidarity under the title “women,” yet pieces in both Woloch and Norton touched upon the idea of white reformers vs. black reformers. I was wondering how clear a divide there was between white and black reformers? White and black abolitionists? White and black suffragists? I know in the 1960s women’s movement, there was a great division among various ethnic lines; I’m wondering whether anyone knows if a similar race divide existed? Were black abolitionists/suffragists seeking rights different or separate from white women? Were there issues they both agreed on and fought for? --Mary Beth Dillane</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_10_Questions/CommentsWeek 10 Questions/Comments2007-10-30T04:35:09Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>Woloch’s book--I found the reading The Cruel Mistress, to be a form of abolitionist propaganda to raise the argument about how inhumane slavery is. Angelina Grimke Weld would give great credibility to the abolitionist movement because of her observations of the southern community as she was once a southern herself. These observations are highly detailed as if it was fresh from her memories yet these accounts in her memories are at least fourteen years old. Thus it begs the question, did these mistresses really conduct themselves this way according to what Weld had witnessed? Are her memories that reliable? Or are these observations, in how mistresses treated their slaves, facts or exaggerations of the facts? –John Furner <br />
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I think it is likely that these mistresses did conduct themselves in a way very similar to Weld's accounts even though a decent amount of time had passed between when she had witnessed the actions and when she recorded them for publishing. The treatment that she described I believe was very common of the slave owners to not see their slaves as fully human and therefore not treat them as such. However, the treatment that stood out most to me during this entry was how the mistress would not beat the slaves herself but have that slave's brother or sister beat them. I would think this would make them want to act out more.- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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Woloch’ Book—Reading Louisa S. Cheeves McCord attack on Stowe was a bit difficult to swallow. It seems to me that she plays right into the Patriarchal system of having to assume the role to take care of those less fortunate. Otherwise, she attempts to give credence to southern white man’s burden for the purpose to have slaves. I find it amusing when she writes, “We proclaim it, on the contrary, a Godlike dispensation, a providential caring for the weak, and a refuge for the portionless.” (219) Why I find this amusing is that she believes the white race must assume a god like status in the care of the less fortunate, thereby the less fortunate group could only prosper in a civilized world, if they were enslaved by the white race; white man’s burden. However, if the white race were so godlike or given providence as she claims, then why are southern slave owners dependant on slaves for their very existence?—John Furner<br />
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In this week’s readings we see the cruelty of slavery for women, through the abuse and sexual exploitation of black women. Even whites were morally opposed to the institution of slavery as seen by Mary Chestnut’s diary. I was taken back by the popularity of masters forcing sexual relations between men and women. I knew it was a practice, however I was under the impression that slave breeding was not very popular, and mostly masters relied on natural reproduction. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of slave breeding? In the essay by Jennings, she explicitly discusses the role of white, slave owners in the sexual abuse of women. Did masters rape and abuse women simply because they could or did the sexual stereotypes of African American women of the time (“animal – like”, foreign, African queens, exotic, sexually aggressive, etc.) play into it? How did mistresses react to the relationships between masters and female slaves and illegitimate children? Are there examples of mistresses mistreating a woman she suspected was sleeping with her husband (I know Weld discusses the “cruel mistress” but I did not get the impression that her violence was deemed inappropriate or based on accusations of infidelity). Was there any advantage(s) to sleeping with the master? -Mary Beth D.</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_8_Questions/CommentsWeek 8 Questions/Comments2007-10-17T01:43:31Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>I found it interesting in ''Women Alone: Property and Personalism'' how women expressed their displeasure with family members openly in their wills by leaving them out or adding conditions to the inheritance. Meanwhile men, when writing their wills, adhered to a basic format. I liked how the author made clear that even though women were limited in their influence and power in legal and political rights, they asserted their power through their wills. - Elizabeth Frank <br />
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In Woloch we are shown that in New England it was easier for women to receive a divorce from the courts than it was in the Chesapeake region. I actually found this surprising. Because New England was formed around strict religious ideals I expected that divorce would be harder to get approved of. I understand that divorce was given based on if a woman was abused, if adultery was committed or if a wife or husband was left for an extended period without contact from the other. HOWEVER, why was it less difficult to get a divorce in a region with such strong foundations in religion? I feel like I'm missing a connection someplace in there.- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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Elizabeth I think it would be interesting to study how many cases were brought to court and how many divorces were actually approved. While we see New England as strange for allowing divorce in such a strict, Puritan society we are not fully aware of how common the practice was or how easy of a time an abused or neglected woman had winning her case. Another section in Woloch I found fascinating was this idea of Feme Sole Traders which allowed married women to engage in businesses. I thought it was interesting how South Carolina had more "liberal laws." What could be a motive for that? Did a particular trade lend itself to this idea of Feme Sole Traders? How common was the practice? Was it socially unacceptable to take economic matters into one's own hands and not leave it up to the man? --Mary Beth Dillane</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_7_Questions/CommentsWeek 7 Questions/Comments2007-10-11T03:09:19Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>In the reading from Woloch's book, part of Martha Ballard's diary, I thought it was great how Martha didn't even begin her career until age 42,had six kids,and had several careers such as a housewife, slaughtered livestock, spun flax, produced candles and soap, knitted cloathing, pieced quilts, raised chickens, milked cows, fed pigs, and grew vegetables. Martha also ran a buisy local practice as a healer and midwife, and did much more! This was a remarkable women in my eyes.-Katie D.<br />
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If she didn't start her career as a midwife till she was 42 what was she doing in the mean time? Do we have any records of her earlier years? And i wonder what shaped her choice to become a midwife? --Katelynn V.<br />
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In the reading from Woloch's book, part of Martha Ballard's diary, I liked how her diary was at once a professional log, a family record, and a community record, because of her continual involvement with clients, neighbors, and local happenings.- Katie D.<br />
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I also liked how her diary was a log not only for herself and her family but also for her community. While reading the entries it was clear that she was writing it not only for herself because of how she records the details, like who is sick, who gave birth etc. I found it interesting that it was a midwife who seemed to be keeping logs of the town and not a man in some other professional field within the town.- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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Along those lines, I was wondering why she didn't begin keeping a diary until she was 50 years old. Was it because she thought of her diary as more of a log for the community (as Elizabeth put it) and this was the time she was doing the most communal work (after her kids were not so young)? --Alex K.<br />
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Is it possible that she did keep another diary and we just don't have it? Is a pervious journal ever alluded to within the text of her diary? --Katelynn V.<br />
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I thought it was interesting too how her diary did cover all points of her life, not just about her being a good wife or a good mother or a good midwife or what have you. That was one aspect of her diary that stood out from the diaries we have looked at previously. The diaries from the other periods seemed more concerned with making the writer look like a good Christian or the proper woman of the time, like she wrote it because she knew that it would be read some day and that she wanted to make sure her decendants knew what a wonderful person she was. While Martha Ballard may have had the same intention it also seems as though she wanted to keep the record more for herself and her children then to show how good she was. --Mary P.<br />
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I think it's remarkable about how detailed her journal is, and how it really does capture most of her daily activities. I particularly like the very last sentence of the Wolch reading which states "I have been called to the birth of this year past, 28 --seventeen of them were daughters. I have lost 42 nights' sleep this year past." Can you imagine, having the discipline to record you daily activites, or realizing that you had not slept for 42 nights during the year? Although, i wonder how the births of so many baby girls would effect a small community both immediately following thier birth and in the future. Could it lead to skewed gender ratios or later effect marriage possibilities for the young ladies? ---Katelynn V.<br />
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Pardon me if this is common knowledge and I am just out the loop, but who was looking after Margaret's children while her and her husband were away on business? Were they all grown up and out of the house? Were they looking after themselves? I would assume because there is hardly any mention of them, and the fact that Margaret was middle-aged, that they were already grown. Also, it probably would've been a little too risky to go out to care for the sick and come back to children, whose immune systems were already vulnerable. Hmm...I guess I kind of answered my own question...but feel free to sound off if you agree or disagree.- Lisa W.<br />
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In her diary, Martha Ballard mentions a man by the name of Mr. Ballard a couple of times, which I’m assuming is her husband. I was curious as to how much control he actually had over her life. I got the impression that midwives were usually widows or were unattached to a man. Does that make her case unusual? She is very independent and very busy, and she seems to do a lot of her healing and midwife duties on her own. -- Jennifer Feldhaus<br />
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--Yes, it was common 18th century practice for a husband and wife to address each other as "Mr. Smith" and "Mrs. Smith" even when writing to each other. Although, the emergence of companionate marriage in some relationships did change that. A more interesting question to me is, in what ways did the Ballards' marriage show signs of the emergence of companionate marriage?.--A. Meyer<br />
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I believe the Ballard's marriage did show characteristics of a companionate marriage. I think the fact that she mentioned her anniversary among her work notes could show that it is something that she is proud of. Also, Martha was a very active midwife and I do not she could have been without support from her husband. - Fiona C.<br />
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In response to Jennifer about Mr. Ballard, who I too assume is her husband, I suppose that he had as much control over some aspects of her life as most men did over their wives. But I also got the impression that he is not always/not often at home. Frequently she wrote about him being off surveying somewhere. But also Martha was an older woman, who had already given birth to children, who did have a vocation and so she did have probably slightly more control then most. At the same time however, she is still known as Mrs. Martha Ballard and her role as a housewife and mother and grandmother takes presidence over her role as a midwife. --Mary P.<br />
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I think Martha uses the name Mr. Ballard, who I am sure is her husband, out of respect and love for her husband as the provider and business man that he is. I know when I was young it was not uncommon for couple who were elderly at that time to refer to themselves as Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith. Also couples who were business people tended to call each other by their formal names. I am a big fan of the old T.V. series The Walton’s. The Godseys were characters in the show that called each other Mr. Godsey and Mrs. Godsey. They didn’t often use their first name when they where addressing each other. ---Cheryl<br />
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I agree somewhat with Cheryl on why Martha refers to her husband as Mr. Ballard, but maybe this use of full names could give us some idea of why she kept the diary. It was obviously not solely for personal pleasure. Maybe she was keeping it so that later on others could understand it if necessary and she wanted to be clear about who she was referring to. She often references how much she paid for certain services or how much she was paid so I can't help but wonder what exactly this diary was kept for. For her own personal recollection? As some sort of family banking account? As proof of particular jobs and payments? -- Allison J<br />
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While reading over Martha's diary online, I was surprised to read the section about Martha's son and eventual daughter-in-law. The couple had a child out of wedlock but the courts were less concerned with their immoral behavior but rather identifying the father so that the community would not be responsible for supporting the mother and child. Is this evidence of the ongoing shift from a religious to a secular society ? --E. Hufford<br />
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Religion still seems to be a very large factor in her life since she notes who in her family went to church on Sunday and she usually gives a clear reason if she doesn't go. She also talks about town meetings during which they decide to hire on preachers, etc. Possibly this concern over the father of the illegitimate child really is just a concern about money. At this time there would obviously be no government programs for single mothers or illegitimate children so something had to be done. Maybe this situation just shows that premarital sex did happen and it happened frequently enough that the community knew that it was important to take action before they were saddled with a child to care for. -- Allison J <br />
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When reading Martha's diary dated the 9th of July 1806, I was appalled when reading of the Purrinton murders. I was shocked in the sense that one does not usually attribute such horrific behavior to that time. Many people today blame suicide-homicides on the society in which we live. I found it intersting and horrifying that such atrocities did happen even two hundred years ago.--E. Hufford<br />
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I have been reading a lot of medical history lately and I found Martha’s diary passages in the winter very interesting in the fact that she gives good details on her ailments. The details are so good it makes me wonder if the fact there are many times during the winter when they are feeling fatigued and colicky that maybe it might be due to lack of a completely balanced diet. Often in the 1700s and 1800s fruits and vegetables are not very abundant. This food items are very high in various vitamins and minerals our body needs. Some of the symptoms Martha wrote about fit some of the vitamin deficiency diseases I am studying. ---Cheryl<br />
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What I would like to know is how Martha Ballard had the time to run her own household and take care of her own family as well as be a busy midwife. She seemed to be on call all the time and at the end of the diary entry in the Woloch book, she said she lost 42 nights of sleep that year! ~Katherine Stinson~<br />
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In response to Katherine's comment I think Martha had more time to focus on being a midwife because her children were all grown up by this time so she did not have to spend anytime on child rearing. I researched her a bit more and found out that she wrote at night while her family slept so she was not spending time during the day on these entries. <br />
Martha Ballard is a wonderful example of an 18th century woman who was not only a dutiful wife and mother but also had a professional role in her community as midwife and healer for thirty years. I found it remarkable that she kept her diary for such a long period of time and made daily entries. Martha also seemed to be very sick throughout some of these years but that did not stop her from performing all her household and professional duties. –Caitlin Quinn<br />
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In Woloch's excerpt, I noticed that though the year she delivered 28 babies and 17 of them were "daughters" that is a lot of female babies. Was there something in this town's water that made them all girls? I also would have liked to read about how many of these babies survived the year, and how their mothers were doing. Why did she tell us the number of daughters? Does that show us that she values girl babies over boy babies? Could it be that she was just using short hand and telling us how many of one sex is easier than how many of both? -- Julie Castanien<br />
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I also would like to comment on how cool that website was that had her entire diary. It provided an excellent way of seeing the source first hand while still making it understandable. -- Julie Castanien<br />
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I agree with Julie, I liked how the site explained her dating system and the way she spelled her words. It made it much easier to understand what she was writing. - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I'm curious about the qualifications for being a midwife. I assume training was fairly informal and reputation seemed to be the only resume. The Woloch reading refers to another, less trustworthy midwife "Mrs. Smith." Why was Smith not trusted? What was the difference between Smith and Ballard?-- Kelly Martin<br />
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After reading Kelly's question, I wondered under what conditions midwives were held responsible for the death of an infant or mother in labor. With limited medical knowledge, how was it determined whether a death (or near-death, as in the case of Mrs. Babcock) was the fault of the midwife or a natural event beyond human aid?-- Ashley H.<br />
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I don't understand how Mrs. Smith still remained a midwife. After many botched medical performances, how come her reputation never got smeared? How was she still being called for medical assistance? Since Mrs. Ballard did note some of Mrs. Smith's faulty doings, was there ever anyone that she could consult in order to get her to stop practicing? It seems like Mrs. Smith being in the picture just made for more "clean-up work" for Mrs. Ballard and more trecherous ailments for her patients.- Lisa W.<br />
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Becoming a midwife seemed to be one of the few ways women could achieve status in the eighteenth century community. I wonder if this contributed to Ballard's desire to seek the role later in life. --Kelly Martin<br />
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There seemed to be little mention of her husband, I wonder why that it is. Maybe he was busy or nothing worth noting happened? I guess since Martha already had six kids, she knew pretty much all one could know about having children, so midwifery seemed like a logical thing for her do. It certainly kept her busy, since she delivers a couple kids every month. The editor characterizes other midwives as 'competitors,' which I found interesting. The thought of midwifery usually doesn't bring competition and economics to my mind. -Christopher Plummer<br />
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Chris raises an interesting question, did many areas have multiple midwives? The Ballards' Augusta-area home seemed to be more on the frontier...--A. Meyer<br />
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Did anyone else find the practice of making women swear the identity of their child's father in the height of labor--so it would be the truth--absolutely absurd? What besides fear of death and pain would make the women be truthful?--A. Meyer<br />
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In response to Andrea's question, I agree that it seems like a ridiculous notion to us. With the very real possibility of death in labor, however, perhaps it was believed that a Christian woman wouldn't risk damnation by lying with death possibly moments away.-- Ashley H.<br />
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I also thought it was interesting how much time and effort Ballard put into her work. She often spent a whole day with her patients and sometimes had to travel long distances or in bad weather. In one year she had lost 42 nights of sleep! - Fiona C.<br />
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Another common theme I found throughout Ballard's diary was disease and death. Not only did three of her own children die in 1769, but her diary is dotted with funerals and deaths. There were seven or eight deaths in the excerpt from the book alone. --Alex K.<br />
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Since Martha Ballard does make mention of her Puritan faith I was wondering what the Church’s view of midwives would be? Would they fall along the lines that birth is a woman’s “curse” and therefore men should have nothing to do with it? Would they uplift the idea of reproduction and life in the form of childbirth? What would be a secular view? Did urban or rural women prefer one practice over the other? Are there any records of how many women relied on their immediate kin for deliveries and not midwives (or doctors later on)? Some of this information was touched upon with last week’s readings, but I wanted to throw these questions out there and see if the answers are similar or different based upon Ballard’s diary and experiences. –Mary Beth D.</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_6_Questions/CommentsWeek 6 Questions/Comments2007-10-04T04:44:27Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>In the reading by Eve Korkfield titled Judith Sargent Murray: The Story of Margaretta, I thought it was interesting, while tracing her education, that Mr. Vigillius's wife pronounced her to be "a perfect mistress; her knowledge of the English, and French tongues, was fully adequate to her years; and her manner of reading had peculiar charms; her handwriting was neat and easy; she was a good accomptant...and much more. Margaretta was quite the accomplisher! - Katie D.<br />
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Eve Korkfields Judith Sergeant Mary was very interesting in the fact that her parents’ idea of education sounded like a basic training for future sophisticated wives. I am sure young Mary would have no problem procuring a wealth husband with all of her learned refinements.--Cheryl<br />
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Going along with that same reading, I don't quite know what I think or how I feel about the following lines:<br />
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~"I think the propriety of circumscribing the education of a female, within such narrow bounds as are frequently assigned, is at least problematical."<br />
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~"The accomplished, the liberally accomplished female, if she is destined to move in the line of competency, will be regarded as a pleasing and instructive companion." <br />
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~"We have been assiduously employed in cultivating the mind of Margaretta."<br />
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These lines just really caught my eye and wondered if they caught anyone else's eye. They all, to me, seem to run with the themes/ideas we've discussed in class. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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Vanessa, I agree with your comments that these few selections do somewhat contradict what we know about the role education played in the lives of pre-Revolutionary women. However when we fast forward to the post-war period, it seems like the idea of women receiving an education change with regards to "public virtue" and "republican motherhood". Women could receive an education if it a)made them a better companion to their husband or b)helped them to better teach their sons/the next generation of American citizens morals and genteel manners.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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The line "We have been assiduously employed in cultivating the mind of Margaretta" also caught my eye and it ties in perfectly with the one that really stuck out to me, "and when the mind is judiciously balanced, it renders the possessor not only more valuable but also more amiable, and more generally useful." I'm kind of amused that the education of women was merely to make them more useful, and better yet, more useful to men. Their job was, as we learned in the lecture on Tuesday, to be able to teach men how to properly run the country and teach girls how to assist those men in whatever way possible. I can't decipher, though, whether or not this story was meant to be somewhat satirical since it was written by a woman pretending to be a man. I kind of got the feeling she was criticizing the education system. Thoughts? -Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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In the Murray reading, I found the following sentence particularly interesting: "No, Mr. Pedant, she was not unfitted for her proper sphere; and your stomach, however critical it may be, never digested finer puddings than those which I, with an uncommon zest, have partook, as knowing they were the composition of her fair hand--- yes, in the receipts of cookery she is thoroughly versed; she is in every respect the complete housewife" (136). After listing all her accomplishments, Murray's narrator, Mr. Vigillius, seems to feel it is necessary to assure the reader that Margaretta possesses the necessary feminine skills as well. This passage almost reads like an advertisement of Margaretta's suitability for marriage. -Ashley H. <br />
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In regards to the Murray reading I would just like to say that I found it rather enjoyable and could imagine while reading it that people during the time in which it was written would also have derived some sort of entertainment from it. That said, I thought it was really interesting what Kelly mentioned, that it was written by a woman through the point of view of a man. Did people of the time know it was written by a woman or did she use a pseudonym? Also I was wondering if she was trying to be satirical as well. Another question, did this happen often, the taking in of orphans to educate them, was it like a trend or something, or was this rare and was it more common to do this with boys or with girls? There is just so much fictional literature about adopting children and educating them I wondered. --Mary P.<br />
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I find Rowson's biography rather odd. For a woman known as an actress, how did she achieve the respectability to open a popular girls' school in a town as straitlaced as Boston? How did did she manage to publish under her own name and achieve such success? Does it seem to anyone else that she borrowed details from her own life to write with?--A. Meyer<br />
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In the reading from Catherine Scholten, it was interesting to me how during the colonial period pregnant women were commonly thought of as "breeding" and "teeming", though theologians attributed dignity to carrying the "living soul" of a child. -Katie D.<br />
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I agree with Katie D. the vocabulary used to explain a pregnant women is very interesting, as is the way theologians viewed women's pregnancies. I just wonder if this "living soul" ideology was prevelant through the colonies at this time or not because it seems to go against the theological ideas that women were suppose to suffer in childbirth because they were tainted with original sin. I just wonder if they believed women were the cause of sin and evil and therefore suffered in child birth, why would they choose to say then say women were the carriers of a "living soul" and were "blessed among women"? Doesn't this idea seem a little off and contradictory? --Katelynn V. <br />
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In Catherine Scholten's account of the change that took place in childbirth procedures I had a question occur to me. While obviously the new medical science allowed doctors to help reduce the pain and risk of childbirth, why did they not let women train in this new medically accepted field? I understand that men thought that women wouldn't be able to understand all the technical terms and the sciences that the training would occur, but at the same time, women had been delivering the children through midwifery long before men came into the field. Wouldn't it have made more sense to simply train the women who already knew a great deal about birthing in the new sciences so that the woman giving birth would still be comfortable and the death rates in birth would go down?- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I agree with Elizabeth, while I understand that men thought women perhaps were not as capable to understand the science of it, I found it crazy that they had to do almost everything blindly because women were nervous about the male doctors seeing their privates. Another thing that struck me was that while this showed the intrusion of men in the womens sphere (I believe it proves the mens of that time superiority complex) it also showed some progress. Men saw it as their duty to protect women through child brith and "... women could now reasonably look to men for safety in the "perilous conditions" of childbirth." -- Emily Miller<br />
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I still find it very odd that women were able to be convinced that men--who had no experience with women's bodies or the childbearing process--were their superiors when it came to childbirth. Furthermore, because midwives first started calling doctors for difficult births, I wonder how that changed doctors' perceptions of childbirth. Did it cause male doctors to think childbirth was more dangerous than it really was, leading to some of the 19th century emphasis on not wearing out a woman's body? Why did the change to male doctors seem to coincide with an increased emphasis on smaller families and reserving energy and resources? I find Scholten's report on NY laws requiring midwives not to discuss their business and women's bodies in front of men (except in emergencies) very interesting. It makes me wonder how much male doctors lost out on, because midwives wouldn't discuss it in front of them. It also makes me wonder how female midwives became desperate and concerned enough about science that they were willing to bring in male doctors, when the feelings against talking about childbearing in front of men were so strong--A. Meyer<br />
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I agree, Andrea. I found myself getting annoyed that women seemed to be so easily convinced that men had such a better knowledge of childbearing and child birth than midwives. It seems to me that women would have placed more trust into the hands of someone who had actually gone through the experience. I think the questions you raise are definitely valid, and I found myself thinking about some of the same things as I was reading.--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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I agree with both Andrea and Kaitlyn. However, I wonder how this change came about. How did the doctors convince women that they were better, or more skilled in the ways of childbirth than a midwife who'd been helping deliver children her whole life? Where their pamphlets and articles that were circulated to help make this switch? How was is that these elite women placed so much faith in these doctors who couldn't even look and see what they were doing. By not seeing what they were doing couldn't they do more harm than good? ---Katelynn V. <br />
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I think that what might have aided womens acceptance of the shift to men physicians instead of midwifes may have just been as simple as they were the ones with medical training. Plus they were men and supposedly had more reason than women. Also it wasn't an immediate switch to men, it was more gradual. At first, the men worked with the midwives or were only called in emergencies. Then it was because they were able to ease the pain and had the tools to help pull out the child. The fact that many medical schools devoted at least one professor to solely focus on midwifery speaks to societies view of the necessity of proper training and the male focus of all things medical. --Alex K. <br />
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While I understand that it can be seen that men usurped women's place in the birthing room, I agree with Alex. These men were trained. At this time women doctors were virtually unheard of, as far as I know anyway, but these men had the tools and the training necessary to potentially save both the mother and her child. They were called in cases of emergency, when whatever it was that the midwife was doing just wasnt working. I have never given birth but I would like to think that in that situation I would call whoever I could think of, do anything, that could by some miracle help save my life or the life of my child.--Mary P. <br />
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Two things really stuck out to me when I was reading about the childbirth differences in the post Revolution era. Since the birthing process itself changed did the after birth process change? Did women have as much time, more, or less time to recooperate? As soon as the baby was born did women take on the role of caring for the woman, nursing, etc. or did the care of the baby continue with the doctor? Another question I had was regard to the change from birth being a pain women had to endure thanks to Eve to something to be uplifted, how did this happen? Was there a shift in religious beliefs or new interpretations of Eve and childbirth that emerged at the time that would lend itself to explaining this shift? I'm not sure of the religious and social context but maybe someone could lend some light on the idea. -- Mary Beth D. <br />
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In the excerpt from Susanna Rowson’s: “Charlotte. A Tale of Truth” she writes about the tragic story of a young girl who leaves her family and friends behind for an Army Lieutenant she falls in love with. In the preface Rowson explains that she wrote the novel to warn parents about what could happen to their daughters as well as for young women who could find themselves in a situation similar to Charlottes. I really enjoyed reading this piece because even though Rowson wrote it in 1794 I found it easy to relate to the dilemma Charlotte was having over wanting to please her parents but at the same time trying to follow her heart. It is interesting to see that women today still feel many of the same pressures Charlotte felt in the 1790s. For instance many women are still concerned about choosing a husband who is accepted by their friends and family and it can split families apart when a woman defies her parents and marries someone who they find unsuitable. Many men today are also careful about respecting the wishes of their future in-laws by asking her father for permission to marry.--Caitlin Quinn<br />
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In regards to "Charlotte. A Tale of Truth", the preface says it's somewhat based on a true story. Despite its romanticized points, it makes me wonder if it was a common occurrence for men to take women to the colonies against their will. Also, if they did come here and were unhappy, why couldn't they write back to their fathers and tell them they were virtually kidnapped? I know my daddy would fork up any amount to get me back home. Seeing Charlotte's father's undying love for her, I'm sure he would have done the same.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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Maybe Charlotte was ashamed of abandoning and having disappointed her family and felt she could not reach out for their help. Or maybe she felt it was her duty to her now husband to obey him or at least stay with him. Also, Rowson writes, "Sometimes, indeed, he (Charlottes husband) would steal out at the close of evening, and pass a few hours with her; and then so much was she attached to him, that all her sorrows were forgotten while blest with his society." So even though was usually miserable, her intense love for him kept pulling her back to him. --Alex<br />
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I also found "Charlotte. A Tale of Truth" interesting but what I found most interesting was the image that was shown of the Army Lieutenant. Susanna Rowson writes his character as a less than wonderful man, after all Charlotte told him she wouldn't go with him because of her duty to her parents but he picked her up and took her anyway, at this point it seemed to be against her will. And once in America he left her alone the majority of the time and in the end instead of dying in the arms of her "love" she died in the arms of her dad (which was still very touching). Was Susanna warning girls against dishonoring her parents or keeping an eye out for men who would tell them what they wanted to hear in order to achieve their goals? - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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In my history of the book seminar, we were required to read Charlotte Temple in its entirety. I really enjoyed reading the book then, and i liked rereading a couple of chapters for this weeks reading. The story itself, as other have suggested revolves around Charolette who is torn between love and duty to both her parents and her supposed lover. What is really interesting about the novel is that there are places where the author, a female author at that, speaks directly to the reader and either explains or apologizes for the actions of the characters or warns the reader away from what she sees as dangerous to young women. What is also very interesting is that this book was the first "bestseller" in the unites states. What does the books subject and popularity tell us about the readers and society during the late 18th century? ---Katelynn V. <br />
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"Charlotte. A Tale of Truth" was a very touching piece. I found it interesting that the idea of not wanting to disappoint her father mattered greatly to Charlotte. As she was dying, all Charlotte wanted was to see her father one last time and receive his blessing. It almost seems to reemphasize the beloved American concept of "Daddy's little girl." --E.Hufford<br />
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I was very taken with the story about Charlotte. I feel pretty certain that Rowson wrote this story to discourage young women to give into passions of love. I thought the way she depicted Montraville, fit the descriptions of a seducer to a tee. Charlotte’s act of giving her baby to her father and then dying in his arms was a dramatic way to drive home the message that young women should listen to their parents’ advice. ---Cheryl<br />
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I think another aspect of "Charlotte A Tale of Truth" is that it was probably a response to the fact that girls could now make decisions about who they chose to marry. Their marriages were no longer arranged or forced to as great of an extent as they used to be so I'm led to believe that this piece was possibly a response to the idea that children, especially daughters, should still take their parents' advice when it comes to matters of the heart. Marriage is a big decision and parents only want the best for their children, be that economic gain or just to make sure they're with someone that will truly love them. - Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I thought Rowson's piece reflected the different stereotypes attributed to women during this time. There was Charlotte, the helpless rich girl who is indecisive and weak; the promiscuous Mademoiselle, and the wise Madame Du Pont trying to steer Charlotte in the right direction. Furthermore, Rowson didn't believe these characters could change. Mademoiselle was bad in the beginning and bad in the end, Charlotte was always helpless. -F. Cobb<br />
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So while reading Scholten's piece, I decided that had I lived during that time, I strongly doubt I would have had children. Childbirth is hard enough today with the pain and anxiety surrounding it. Add the thought of dying and the need to be spiritually prepared as John Oliver so kindly pointed out in his "A Present for Teeming Women," and there is no doubt many women today would probably have been scared out of childbearing (myself included). -- E. Hufford<br />
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I totally agree. The examples and excerpts from literature given to pregnant women of the day were a bit much. Especially those from A Present for Teeming American Women, like you said. The comparison of a warm chamber to a grave was a little too freaky, but I suppose that was sort of the point.--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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In response to E. Hufford, I was thinking that childbirth would be difficult, but the only certain way to avoid pregancy would be to remain unmarried. With the limited opportunities available to women, I think many women would rather risk childbirth than a poor spinsterhood. What kind of social stigma was attached to women who chose to remain unmarried or those who were unable to have children?-- Ashley H. <br />
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I was a little confused by Murray's piece, "The Story of Margaretta." Apparently Murray wrote the series under the name of Mr. Vigillius. Therefore, she is pretending to be a man writing about the education of a woman, though she really is a woman. Why would she use the pen name? What it because she wanted to be taken seriously? - F. Cobb<br />
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The question I had in my head while reading Scholten's article was, "why didn't women want men in there?" The article mentions prejudice as the cause, which seems ridiculously simple but obvious. Its interesting for me to see how the interpretation of the Bible seemed to follow the presence of male midwifery. Maybe its just the organization of the article, but does suggest that in America, social change precedes and causes a change in religion? Is this a common trend? The very fact that men are actually entering the profession of midwifery seems to be the flat reason for it being accepted. The need for professionals in times of emergencies ultimately gave way to just a general need when people realized that these people knew what they were doing (relatively) and that their tools wouldn't actually harm the child. On a different topic, I found this quote from Murray really interesting: "Her person, the symmetry of her features, the rose and lily of her complexion....these are the endowments of nature --while the artificial accomplishments with which she is invested...confer upon her no real or intrinsic merit." pg 137. Maybe I'm misreading that, but is that say her looks are more 'valuable' than the 'artificial' accomplishments of character? <br />
-Christopher Plummer<br />
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I also really enjoyed reading Rowson's story about Charlotte. I think it is interesting how things that were written about back then can still be things we are dealing with today. Like when she talked about how women liked a man in uniform : "A man of an indifferent appearance, will, when arrayed in a military habit, shew to advantage..."(194) and the fact that even though Charlotte wanted to do the right thing she let her "boyfriend" talk her into something she did not want to. That is something that young women today still deal with. ~~Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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I agree with the opinions posted before on Scholten's article. From our lectures in class, I find it odd that men would want to exert dominance over birth. With the establishment of the concept of motherhood, this reversal seems odd. Perhaps in concerns of medical science, though, a woman could not be allowed to have that knowledge. This idea makes me wonder at what point does one gender role win out above others; what is the most important gendered difference of the period. --Robert Kopp<br />
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In response to F. Cobb's comment about Murray using a man's name in her writings, she probably did that so that her writings would actually get published. Also, at that time, if people saw that something was written by a woman, people, specifically men, would probably not take her or her writings seriously. ~Katherine Stinson~</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_5_Questions/CommentsWeek 5 Questions/Comments2007-09-27T03:22:51Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>"Thomas Paine Admits Women Have Some Rights" left me wondering if his comments would have helped or hindered women in the eighteenth century. Paine states grievances against women while projecting them to be weak and fragile. He praises their contributions and advocates for recognition of female accomplishment, while belittling women with allusions to their inability to care for themselves. Paine's claims seem to be overwhelmingly contradictory. So, my question is-- Could Paine be considered an early feminist? -Kelly Martin<br />
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When reading "Thomas Paine Admits Women Have Some Rights", I also was a bit confused to where Paine was coming from. His claim's were infact very contradictory with one another. After reading Kelly's question,this leads me to believe that he could be a considered an early feminist in some ways. -Katie D.<br />
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I also found "Thomas Paine Admits Women Have some Rights" very interesting in that he contradicts himself in saying women are weak but have a great deal of courage for putting up with oppression throughout time and the world. Though this article did make me wonder what men's reaction to his article would have been. - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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Well, I too was a little confused. But looking at it in context- this is all propoganda. Is this not to just gather more patriots for the "cause"? His soft side of defending women could gather more support from the women, yet his ideas of the mascline chivalry could win the support of men. - Talya Halpern. <br />
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Paine's comments on the rights of women almost assumes a certain amount of kindness or mercy is required to be offered by the conqueror, victor, or elite, almost like the deference offered in the patriarchal system of Virginia. It would be interesting to compare Paine's work with the work of Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women.Is there any information on what prompted Paine to write this essay?--A. Meyer<br />
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When reading the essay "A Carolina Patriot" in Woloch's book, there was an excerpt found from Eliza Wilkerson's wartime letters to an unspecified friend. I found it intersting that she said "For my part, "I would rather explore unknown regions, blessed with liberty, than remain in my native country if to be cursed with slavery"(p.123). Throughout this excerpt Eliza seems to be "inventing" herself - adopting the pose appropriate to a "female patriot". -Katie D.<br />
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I found the letter that Katie D. mentioned to be very interesting and I would agree with the statement that she seems to be "inventing" herself. Everything that she wrote is apparently saturated with patriotic thoughts and feelings. I am curious however just how common an attitude towards politics at the time was Eliza Wilkerson's or were more women inclined to have more of the feelings of Grace Galloway (starting on page 124). Grace Galloway's diary entries are such a total opposite to the letter of ELiza Wilkerson that a reader is battered with very strong opposing views. --Mary P.<br />
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In regards to Katie and Mary's comments, I am also curious about how a different audience would have altered Eliza Wilkerson's statements. How might her opinions or framing of opinions have been altered if voiced to a man? Would Eliza have the same feeling of invention? -Kelly Martin<br />
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I was interested in how the political atmosphere and/or personal political leanings would have affected Wilkerson's and Galloway's varying views on politics and the war. For example, while Wilkerson seems idealistic and interested in politics, would she have had the same enthusiasm as a Loyalist? Would Galloway have been merely irritated with the intrusion of politics in her life if her husband's Loyalist stance hadn't caused her to lose her home? --Ashley H.<br />
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In regards to Eliza’s letter, I was also struck by her quote, “I would rather explore unknown regions, blessed with liberty, than remain in my native country if to be cursed with slavery.” It certainly paints a pretty bold picture. However, I always find it ironic when plantation owners, who are presumably slave owners, make comparisons to how wickedly they are being treated by others, when they themselves own slaves. Essentially saying, “It’s okay to treat someone else like that, just as long as it’s not me.”- Lisa Wilkerson <br />
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This could be totally wrong, but in the context of the letter, I don't think Maj. Moore is talking about slavery as we understand it today. He is probably referring to the seizing of property by the British government (i.e. what the colonists saw as tyranny though the Stamp Act and other laws passsed by Parliament at that time). Now, if I had not attended Prof. Hudgins’s American Revolution class yesterday, I totally would have thought the same thing. Yay for classes overlapping!--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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I agree with Lisa! This attitude makes just as much sense as a bunch of slaveholders writing a Constitution about equality and liberty. -- Allison J. <br />
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Another thing I found interesting was when Eliza Wilkinson's wrote,"I would not wish that we should meddle in what is unbecoming female delicacy...." She was so "progressive" in her views and how much she spoke out for the inclusion of women in areas beside domestic labor and yet she still fell victim to some gender stereotyping. --Alex K.<br />
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Perhaps Eliza was just appeasing the male ego when she wrote the above quote. I mean, men were in charge so it would be important not to ruffle too many feathers. -- Allison J. <br />
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While reading Benjamin Rush's "Thoughts Upon Female Education" I was struck by the change in the views concerning female education that we have come upon in just this short span that we have discussed. Where as before women were taught to read mostly so that they could read the Bible, now men are encouraged to promote the education of their daughters for the sake of their property, for women were often left as stewards of property and business during a husbands absence, but also, and from Rush's continuing mention of it importantly, the fact that these daughters will be growing up and getting married and having children, particularly sons, and they will have the task of educating these sons in a manner befitting their status and learning. --Mary P.<br />
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I agree with Mary regarding Rush's lecture on female education. Girls were actually going to be challenged academically in all of the subjects they formerly were kept away from. What intrigued me about this lecture, however, is that it was aimed towards men in the audience and not actually the girls who would be undergoing this new academic change. And not only was it directed at men, but at men of a much higher social class who would be in charge of allowing this change to happen. It really shows how the elite were coming into play and actually becoming a threat to the rest of the colonists. (I also enjoy that he refused to let students study French, but that's a bit off-topic) - Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I though that it was interesting how in Esther DeBerdt's "Sentiments of an American Woman", she freely admits that women have "...feeble hands..." (115). I would have thought that a comment like that would be more likely to come from a man of that time and not a woman. ~Katherine S.~<br />
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I felt that the way Mary Jemison described the Native Americans in the article "The War for Independence...", made them seem very materialistic. It seemed that all the Native Americans cared about were the goods they were going to receive from the British and nothing else. ~Katherine S.~<br />
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I really enjoyed reading "An American Woman Asserts Women's Rights." I found it interesting that this woman flat out said that many women would do whatever they could to help the revolution during this time when many men felt like women wouldn't want to give up their luxuries to help the cause. I also enjoyed how she compared american women to the women of antiquity who helped save their nations. - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I also enjoyed reading "An American Woman Asserts Women's Rights." I am the sap that this stuff was written for- I immediately felt like I could go dig a trench or build a wall to help our good ole' boys. I thought it was an excellent propoganda piece and could serve to get women who are not interested in politics involved in the fight for America's independence.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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Agreeing with Lisa, "An American Woman Asserts Women's Rights" is a terrific piece of propaganda. I don't think anything else could have persuaded women more during the revolution to give up their luxuries like tea and fine textiles like another woman "just like them" telling them to do so. This piece did nothing but emphasize how important women could be and it is a great way to get women involved in supporting the revolution, especially if they were not the kind to immediately do so. - Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I also enjoyed reading Esther DeBerdt Reed's piece. By showing examples of past women who struggled on behalf of their own nations, Esther bolsters her argument. I like the fact that she did not try to argue in passive manner. She asserts herself and her fellow women who want to do more to serve their nation. Her sentiments are much more convincing and empowering due to the manner in which she presented herself. --E. Hufford<br />
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Esther DeBert's piece was made even more interesting by the fact that she says that "women have been seen forgeting the weakness of their sex." This definitely makes it seem like DeBerdt does not see women as nearly as weak as they are usually portrayed. Some of the other readings went on about how weak women were-- they could help, but they were still weak. DeBert on the other hand shows women leaving their perceived weakness behind. -- Allison J. <br />
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When reading Abigail Adams' correspondence with her husband John and friend Mercy, I found myself sympathizing with Abigail. Her frustration with John when he wrote. "As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh" must have been great. Reading her letter to Mercy about John's repsonse seems as though it could have been written by a woman today to a friend complaining about her husband's actions.-- E. Hufford<br />
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I agree with those thoughts on the letters of Abigail Adams. And I find it revealing in John Adams' character. He's a historically important figure in our nations history and we hold him on a high pedestal for that. But he still thinks typical thoughts of the time period with regards to women and their "rights." His comments not only include the "I cannot but laugh comment" but even to say "We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems." We can continue to think of John Adams as a great man and important to the founding of our nation, but we must recognize his averageness in his thoughts. If that made any sense at all. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I agree that it is important to note that John Adam's thoughts were typical of the time period. However, it was a bit surprising that he put his wife in the same category as children, apprentices, Indians, and slaves. He knew she was well educated but the fact that she was a woman was the overriding factor. - Fiona Cobb <br />
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I felt that Phillis Wheatley's address to George III was an amazing piece of literature. I think it was so clever to include the words free and equal into her poem. Wheatley was treated a lot differently from most slaves . She was educated among white children, and was even sent to Europe to progress is studies and writing. Did her owners really read her poem? I am sure they were delighted for her--and them because they own her. But did they hear it? Did anyone else see those underlying messages for freedom from slavery? Did anyone agree with her underlying tones of the poem? - Talya Halpern<br />
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I have to agree with Talya that Wheatley was very clever and I think it's possible she was underestimated by those around her. She was obviously intelligent but her cleverness leads me to think she could outsmart even her owners. Of course, we will probably never know, but I like to think she had a few laughs at the expense of others as she wrote this poem as well as her others. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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I found Phillis Wheatley's poem to King George III interesting. How was it that Woloch was able to interpret the poem as a subtle jab at the King yet the those in England who screened her book of poetry for poems of Revolution missed it? Nevertheless, I agree with those above that it was a very clever way to get her views across. --Alex K.<br />
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I agree with Talya's assessment of Phillis Wheatley's poem. As I was reading it, I couldn't help but wonder how different her situation could have been had she been enslaved on a rural, Southern plantation as opposed to being in Boston. This also makes me wonder: I know her poems were published in England, but were they read widely in the US? If so, how were the accepted, especially since they were the work of an African American woman?--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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I felt that Mary Jemison Views the Revolution was a great account of the War for Independence. Mary’s descriptions were not that of a typical woman. She describes scenes of prisoners being punished that many women would not even want to watch let alone observe and write about. I especially like the end of her story when she writes of how she hired herself out to an escaped black slave and how she was not too worried about the gun the slave stood over her with. I doubt many women of the colonial settlements would do the same.--Cheryl<br />
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I think Abigail Adams statement to "pay particular care and attention" to the ladies or they are "determined to forment a rebellion" was priceless! Then her husband calls her "saucy". It is amazing to see that even in a relationship like the Adams' had the notion of women being fragile and needing their husbands protection and guidance was still made very clear. ~~Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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I wonder how much of Abigail Adams's claims of women being "placed by providence under your protection" was an attempt to flatter her husband's ego and appeal to his sense of chivalry. Did she really feel women needed protection, or was she merely aware of what men needed to hear in order to consider the rights of women?-- Ashley H.<br />
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I was also confused by Thomas Paine. He seemed in one breath to praise women and the next breath insult them. I wonder how the women of the time saw his remarks. Did they feel insulted as well or was it something they were used to (being praised and insulted at the same time)?~~Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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Its interesting that the lecture by Rush about women was actually directed toward men. But its not really surprising, who else was directing culture and such things at this time? Its also worth noting how its put into contrast with Great Britain, just a few years after the American Revolution. Does this represent a self-conscious attempt to different what it means to be American from that of British? The letters between the Adams was also really interesting because it does show that although Adams is romaticized in American history, he was still a man of times. Its interesting that he refers to patriarchy as a 'theory' when he says about the 'masculine systems' that they "are little more than a theory." What exactly does that mean? That its merely a good model for behavior? I certainly don't think they were so detached toward these norms that they could truly think of them as a "theory." Its interesting to see him change the subject from "masucline systems" holding women down to a discussion of independence from the "peticoat." It seems to suggest that Adams didn't quite notice the similarity of the 'oppression' of women as the same as the peticoat toward the American. <br />
-Christopher Plummer<br />
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I also found it surprising that the Native Americans so quickly gave up the six nation treaty they had created the year before when the British Commissioners asked for their help in fighting against “the rebels.” When Jemison described the British Commissioners coming before the Chiefs to try and convince them to help I really hoped the Chiefs would be able to look past their promises of material goods and an alliance with a rich King. Sadly the Chiefs were blind sighted by the promises of wealth and agreed to fight against what the British promised to be “only a few easily subdued people who deserve the punishment for their disobedience to the King.” Just a few passages later Jemison refers to a battle in the spring of 1776 when the Indians were completely beaten and thirty-six died. It seems like the “sorrow and distress” that quickly falls over the town when the warriors returned from the battle could have been easily avoided if the Chiefs had just stood their ground and not given in to the British demands.—Caitlin Quinn<br />
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I was interested in the questions that Woloch raised in the introduction to the diary of Grace Galloway, a Loyalist Wife. Specifically, can women be held responsibile for their political opinions? In this case Galloway's property and inheritance was confiscated because she was a Loyalist. I thought this was a bit extreme considering her husband had already fled never to return and she didn't seem like a die hard loyalist in her diary and was more concerned about her possessions. Additionally, at the time women were thought to be politically ignorant. Was this instance more about show rather than politics? - Fiona Cobb<br />
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I believe Grace Galloway's case is one of the most excellent examples of Dr. McClurken's claim that women overwhelmingly remembered the deprivations and terrors of abuse,loss of property, and loss of lives. The reception she received by her supposed friends during the war is one of the numerous accounts of the true depth of the effects of war. Another interesting experience illustrated by her case was how femme covert status often cost a woman her property, even if she disagreed with her husband's politics. --A. Meyer<br />
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Just because it needs to be said somewhere, as an addition to Dr. McClurken's lecture Tuesday, the following women deserve at least equal recognition to Mercy Otis Warren for their role in inspiring and rousing men to engage in resistance to the British. This is not intended to romanticize women's activities during the Revolution any more than history textbooks romanticize men's activities during the Revolution. These women adopted courageous roles and they deserve credit as individuals for their activities: <br />
*Hannah Arnett--When the men were considering signing the Howe brothers proclamation of loyalty, she burst into their discussion and made a rousing speech and presentation convincing them not to sign the proclamation<br />
*Penelope Barker and the Edenton, NC ladies--created their own proclamation promising to boycott importation of cloth and tea from England, along with their own little tea party demonstration<br />
*Faith Robinson Trumbull--wife of the Governor of Connecticut, urged the people of her parish to donate to the American soldiers, giving the cloak she received from Rochambeau (the French commander)<br />
*Prudence Wright--organized the women of her village in dressing in their men's clothing and carrying guns to defend the bridge at Groton against the British<br />
*The Livingston women--married to all the most influential New York politicians, their letter writing to most of the founding fathers is cited by Linda Kerber and Mary Beth Norton as an example of women actively campaigning for independence and writing persuasively to their family and friends, who happened to be the leading law makers and decision makers in their colony's politics, making them comparable to the tired and favored example of Mercy Otis Warren.<br />
Furthermore, while we need to be careful to recognize the effects of the horrors of war on women's lives during the Revolution, women who acted heroically deserve to have their stories told without being dismissed as simply exceptions or romantic stories, because history textbooks are filled with the stories of men who are also exceptions (George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin). While it is quite necessary to convey to students the exceptional nature of these women's experiences and it's impossible for Dr. McClurken--or any other professor or teacher--to address the majority of these accounts with current curriculum requirements, they deserve to be remembered, and I consider this a small attempt to add to the individual stories we've begun classes with. <br />
--A. Meyer<br />
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I also found Phillis Wheatley's poem to be particularly memorable. I am surprised that her master, John Wheatley, allowed her the education she received. I am curious of his intentions in allowing for this. The poem included exemplifies the power of satire. As a fan of modern satirical programming, I can appreciate the strength of its belied impact. In the case of Phillis Wheatley, she seems to have left her poem raveled in such cleverness that its true meanings may only be known to her. As such, it would carry importance based upon the interpretation of those reading it, a very effective method indeed. --Robert Kopp<br />
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From all the readings this week the one thing that stuck out most to me was this feeling of being stuck between obligation/expectations and personal desires for women during the American Revolution. The revolution stirred up a lot of ideas of “equality” and “freedom” for all types of minority groups…poor whites, free blacks, black slaves, Native Americans and women. I think the readings point to a women’s need to fulfill expectations yet wonder if there were things that needed to be changed. Many of the women discuss their role in helping fight/support the British and their sense of patriotism that was both an obligation and a desire for women. When it came to things such as education, we see the idea of empowering women with certain rights, yet the expectations still remain…a women should be polite, moral, submissive, a good wife and a good mother. What expectations, if any, did the American Revolution actually change? Was the revolution more of an ideological change or were there concrete social changes evident? Were the changes and the increase power/interest we do see, from and for women’s rights truly unique to the revolution, a consequence of the revolution or a continuation of obligation and expected roles? -- Mary Beth D.</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_3_Questions/CommentsWeek 3 Questions/Comments2007-09-13T00:45:32Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>In Early American Women, the essay by Susanna Wesely made me feel thankful I was brought up the way I was. I disagree with her methods of controling children. I don't believe in programing children to be the way a parent wishes. I do agree with some of her her principles however. I think children should be praised everytime they behave correctly or are obediant. I believe children should be taught to be respectful to other's property. I don't think children need to be preforming the same routine every day regardless if it is in eating, sleeping ect. In Wesely's essay, she herself noted that when the children had to be at seperate houses when their home was destroyed by fire, that when they were reunited under one roof again, they aquired some bad behaviors. Perhaps if Wesely weren't so strict with her routines and ridgid discipline, her children may have come back with fewer negative influences.--Cheryl<br />
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I definitely agree with Cheryl I was very glad my parents were not that strict. I think what got me the most was how the essay described how the mother would break the free will of the kids. - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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While the essay of Susanna Wesely is very scary thinking about how those children were raised, I have to remember that that way of thinking was probably normal for the time and an acceptable way of thought. But to our modern minds it does seem very barbaric. I did like Eliza Pinckney's letter to herself however and thought that it gave a good insight into the minds of women at the time, especially married women in her social position. Reading what she wrote, some of it women try and apply in their lives today and it does seem to speak through the years. It is that part about making all her actions "Corrispond with that sincere love and Duty I bear him" that we tend to baulk at today. --Mary P.<br />
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I also was very shocked when I read the account of Abigail Bailey and 1) she had 17 kids and 2) her husband tried having a relationship beyond a fatherly one. The account definitely showed how helpless a woman was when discovering her husband doing something wrong. In the intro to the account it says that she got her husband arrested but with the help of her brothers. But would she have been able to have him arrested without her brothers assistance?- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I, too, was shocked while reading Abigail Bailey's "An Abominable Wickedness" and I agree with Elizabeth that the narrative did show how helpless a woman was under the rule of her husband. Yet, there are two sides to this wifely obedience. A “proper” woman saw it her solemn duty to uphold the marriage covenant and be a kind, faithful, and subservient wife to her husband. However, when the husband has violated the marriage covenant and has behaved immorally, exceptions ensue. All of a sudden, a woman with no rights now has all legal authority in the marriage. She knew divorce and breaking up her family was a sin (imagine how tough this must have been for her to deal with) but once she realized it was not her fault, she placed all guilt and blame on Mr. Bailey. Where was the point when Abigail realized enough was enough and she had to say something? Despite the fact she confronted him long after the first signs of his wrongdoing; many women could have assumed their position and not have said a word. I found it quite empowering to see docile and obedient Abigail become an enlivened woman and mother whose priorities changed; her duty was no longer to her husband but to her children.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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While a huge part of Abigail Bailey's remaining silent for so long was due to the time period and the fact that she had very little or no legal power, I think we must also recognize that this story could probably be told by someone today. Many women and children are still abused and still feel as though any legal action they took would simply be one person's word against another. Also I think that the footnote is very interesting. Why is it that the editor feels that it is necessary to excuse Abigail's actions. As an abused woman I feel that it is amazing that she spoke up at all, while the editor seems to think that readers might not understand her hesitance. -- Allison Johnson<br />
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I believe Abigail had a good reason to be hesitant. Know one wants to believe they married such a monster that could rape repeatedly is own daughter. I do not blame her for wanting more proof. Women in her day and age were brought up with the notion to love, honor and obey their husbands. It went against everything she believed in to just come forward when she did for the sake of her child.--Cheryl<br />
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I found Martha Ballard’s entry “A Maine Midwife” to be quite insightful. Just by her keeping a very brief journal we are able to calculate birth rates, see some folk remedies, find out when and how people died, and keep up on town news and events. On a sidenote: what’s the deal with all the burnt feet during those first few days in August?- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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I personally was amused at the first reading in Woloch on "The Duties of Husbands and Wives." While Woloch acknowledges that this is not necessarily how people acted, I couldn't help imagining what it would be like if someone two hundred years from now used one of our articles on relationships to judge the relationships of people at large. The Bullet's Sexclamations article perhaps? It is interesting to keep in mind that the primary sources that we have are just as small portion of what would have existed at this time. -- Allison Johnson<br />
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I believe Abigail had a good reason to be hesitant. Know one wants to believe they married such a monster that could rape repeatedly is own daughter. I do not blame her for wanting more proof. Women in her day and age were brought up with the notion to love, honor and obey their husbands. It went against everything she believed in to just come forward when she did for the sake of her child.--Cheryl<br />
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While reading the article, "To Use Her As His Wife" by Sklar, I noticed a few of the things we discussed in class on Tuesday in practice. The main thing that stuck out for me was how there was never a real record of Martha Root and her story during her court case; everything we know about this case was on account of the male lawyers or the father of Martha's children. This point, in my opinion, really emphasized that most of what we know about colonial women during this time period was somehow influenced by men. -- Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I totally agree with Kelly about "To Use Her As His WIfe." It touched on what we went over in class and really seemed to personify the idea that women in general are second class citizens as this point. I also found it really interesting, though I was not surprised, was the complete double standard that seemed to be held towards Martha. I mean it took two people to create those children and yet she is the one whose reputation was forever tarnished and her eventual marriage at age 34 was a "last chance" scenario that enabled her to finally get out of town. I also had a question about the idea that a younger sibling doesnt marry before the oldest so there are no two marrigable people of the same sex in the same family. But what happens if one sibling is a perpetual spinster or what if, like in the case of Martha's children, there happened to be twins? --Mary P.<br />
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I found it interesting how fully Sklar researched the lives of Jonathan Edwards and Joseph Hawley. At first I thought it was a bit extreme when she was writing about their grandparents, but then I saw how much of their past and family life shaped their actions and motivations. I think it shows that as historians we need to delve below the surface in order to contrusct a representation that is as accurate as can be. - Fiona C. <br />
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In Sklar's essay I was surprised to read that Edwards, as a minister, argued against the "double standard" and said that Elisha should have to marry Martha regardless of the claims that she was not a virgin and that she seduced him. To me it seems that Edwards and Hawley seized upon the case because they saw it as an opportunity to promote their beliefs (kind of like today). Their insistence might also explain why Martha pushed her claim despite the risk to her reputation and future ability to marry. - Fiona C. <br />
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I really loved the letters between Esther Burr and Sally Prince. The letters were a great way to see the relationships that women of the time could have with each other while at the same time relaying an idea of what daily life was like for these women. I just thought that they were really interesting. --Mary P.<br />
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I agree with Mary about the insight the letters exchanged between Esther Burr and Sally Prince give us. By reading the journals that the two women kept, we historians can catch a glimpse of what life was like (vaguely) from a female's perspective for once and not via a man's perspective. It also emphasizes the point we discussed in class how social life amongst women was very important and how women were at the base of kinship networks. -- Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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After reading Susanna Wesley’s letter to her son about how to raise children by conquering their will, enforcing strict rules, and teaching them the importance of religion and daily prayer I was surprised to read the 8th rule she had for her household: “that no girl be taught to work till she can read very well; and that she be kept to her work with the same application and for the same time that she was held to reading.” This stood out to me as being a radical idea for the early 1700s and in sharp contrast to the entire message of the piece. I wonder if women saw their daughters not being able to read well and decided to fix the problem by enforcing these types of rules or if Wesley was simply more educated and represented the beginning of social changes that colonial women made in their households. --Caitlin Quinn<br />
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Like Caitlin, I was surprised by rule 8. Maybe because Wesley could obviously write well for her time, she saw education become an advantage in her own life and wished to pass it on. Also, Wesley was obviously a very spiritual person, maybe she wanted young women to read so they could read The Bible? -Kelly Martin<br />
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While reading the letters of Esther Burr and Sally Prince, I found myself amused by Esther's Letter No. 22. She related her conversation with Mr. Ewing about women. He beleived that women should only converse on subjects they "understood." I loved Esther's thought, "My tongue, you know, hangs pretty loose, thoughts Crouded in-so I sputtered away for dear life." -- E. Hufford<br />
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When reading "To Use Her As His Wife," I was quite impressed with Jonathan Edwards' support for Martha. How many other men at that time would have reacted the same way? I was saddened to learn that his support for Martha did have something to do with his dismissal from the pulpit in 1750. -- E. Hufford <br />
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I was struck by the last paragraph in the sermon "About the Duties of Husbands and Wives." At the very end, after stating how marriages should involve love and tenderness, Wadsworth as if on a side note, mentions that parents should wisely match their children with someone who is "proper." This point seems to have little emphasis in his sermon which mainly seems about loving someone you potentially might not even like. If all of this love and tenderness Wadsworth speaks of should occur shouldn't selecting a spouse with whom you are compatible be a higher priority? --Kelly Martin<br />
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I think the role of women and the economy or more accurately the role of women as a labor force brings up some interesting points that ties to some larger themes we have discussed so far. With regards to slavery the role of the mother and inheritance is once again an issue. While we saw that some Native American cultures used the mother as a line of inheritance, when it came to slavery a child’s status as free or slave was determined by the mother. Another idea we have begun to touch upon is the hierarchy of society and women. For instance indentured servants, apprentices, or slaves occupied the same area as their mistresses but the mistress was in charge, in control due to her elevated status. In the introduction paragraph of this chapter Woloch asks questions about women’s work in the pre-industrial economy. One idea that really stuck out to me was this idea of all-women work groups. Could groups of women who worked in the field, who had things in common such as motherhood or the same master constitute the continuation of the theme of kinship we have already established in both Native American culture and Colonial culture? -- Mary Beth Dillane</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_2_Questions/CommentsWeek 2 Questions/Comments2007-09-06T05:19:24Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div>I found it interesting in the passage by John Heckewelder( page 30- 33) in Modern Problems where he says that the women's work load was so much lighter than that of the mens. I found this particularly interesting because in one of my classes last semester we read some articles about Europeans reactions to Native American society in Virginia and it said how lazy the European men felt that the Indian men were because it appeared that the women did the majority of the work within the village. I thought it was interesting seeing the different views that this reading exposed. - Elizabeth Frank<br />
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Continuing from what Elizabeth wrote, It is infact very intersting to see how different groups of people play differnt roles, and how each group views those roles played by each gender.--Katie D.<br />
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I too was interested by the passage about women’s work written by John Heckewelder. I actually found myself getting a little miffed at him for saying such a thing. However, Mary Jemison somewhat backs up what he says in the account of her captivity. She hints that the work was different from the work that white women had to face, but in the end, it all equaled out. “Our labor was not severe; and that of one year was exactly similar in almost every respect to that of the others, with out that endless variety that is to be observed in the common labor of white people…their task is probably not harder than that of white women…” (Woloch 21). Of course, Jemison doesn’t really mention men’s work in her passage, so it’s hard to tell if Seneca men compare to the “macho men” that Heckewelder describes. --Kaitlyn G.<br />
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I was also a bit baffled at Heckewelder's discription and thought it contrasted so some of the ideas that I interpreted from our lecture on Tuesday. I got from the lecture that women not only pulled their weight, but really did more than that. Granted the region really determined the labor of both genders, but I got that women worked a lot harder than Heckewelder was describing. Maybe I'm just being a "feminist"- but I do not think that Hechewelder was giving women enough credit- but who is surprised about that? -- Talya Halpern<br />
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>> I do not think that I am being dense when I say that I think that Heckewelder's comments were not all that far from the truth when I compare his writing to our class lecture and to the account from Jemison. He may have exaggerated some about just how difficult men's work was but from where I am sitting it does not seem that easy to hunt animals or fight a war. Heckewelder does seem to have an interesting account of the way a marriage works but I also wonder if by the time he is doing his observations that the society which he was studying had changed its ways seeing as how this account comes from 1819 not the late 1600s or mid 1700s. (Julie Castanien)<br />
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In Woloch's book, having to do with marriage and treatment of their wives,(p.9-11), I found it intersting how he says that there are many persons who believe, from the labour that they see the Indian women perform, that they are in a manner treated as slaves. These labours, indeed, are hard, compared with the tasks that are imposed upon females in civilized society, but they are no more than their fair share of the hardships attendant on savage life. So they are not only voluntarily, but cheerfully submitted to the work. <br />
--Katie D.<br />
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Heckewelder's discription also described the women as being "...cheerful." Maybe it was a European interpretation that smiling and cheerfulness was through the fear of the great stong Native American men. Now in the prespective of a historian who knows a bit more about the Native American culture it can be frustrating to read some accounts of Europeans and their interactions with the Natives. Women as we learned are cheerful not out of fear- maybe they were cheerful because they did have some power and influence over the tribes. If Heckewelder observed the strange freedoms that men and women had with marriage, could the connection not be made that these women have lots of liberties in other aspects of their societies and culture? - Talya Halpern<br />
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Katie, I was also interested in the idea that somehow fieldwork alone made slaves, but housework did not...Is there any explanation for that, Dr. McClurken? Or someone else who saw something I missed?--A. Meyer<br />
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This is a total shot in the dark, but from a European perspective, I think that they would be used to women doing domestic work as opposed to working in the fields. Taking care of the home was a woman's place in European society and when seeing a Native woman doing those tasks, that was a normal thing to them. However, when women were working in the fields, a red flag must have gone up and they were like "Whoa, must be a slave." I don't know, just a kind of [bad] a guess.--Kaitlyn G.<br />
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Throughout the personal narratives we have read, it has become obvious that Europeans thought their way of life to be far more superior to the way of life of the Natives they encountered. Due to the fact that they had never seen a society perform this way, Europeans defined this foreign culture as erroneous and thought it their divine right to intervene. Are there any current examples of this “responsibility” to intrude on foreign societies and make them like ours? Without trying to make this a political argument, one may argue the situation in Iraq. For instance, an attempt was made by the U.S. to spread democracy to this dictatorship. - Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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Lisa, I would have to agree with you. The term manifest destiny comes to mind. Though the term may not be as common anymore, the ideology certainly still exists. It was this idea that enabled the Europeans to justify their dealings with the Native Americans and any others who came accross the European's path. -- Elizabeth H.<br />
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This brings to mind the anthropological term of ethnocentrism to me. As the term suggests, the Europeans looked at the world through their own cultural perspective, believing that they are superior. All other societies are therefore judged based on their own views/culture/lifestyle. --Alex K.<br />
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>> I think that it is not possible to look at other cultures without using your own as a point of comparison. Now we do the best we can to be unbiased but we still have certain tendencies to misunderstand others. (Julie Castanien)<br />
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Though Native Americans were not nearly as interfering in the lives of European settlers as the settlers were to them I think it is safe to say that the Native Americans would have viewed the European way of life as erroneous and as something that needed to be corrected as well. In fact, with what we know of Native Americans sharing their ways of farming it is possible that Native Americans felt and acted in the same way, seeing Europeans as ignorant and behind the times, only we do not have any primary sources to back up their of the story. Anyway all I am trying to say is that the Europeans most likely were not the only ones looking down on another group of people. Just interesting to remember that we only have one side of the story. --Allison J. <br />
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To what extent were European prejudices against natives based on differences about gender roles? To what extent were they more based on standards of living and tools? If native peoples had similar gender roles to Europeans, would the Europeans have had better gender relations, or would they still be doomed due to European prejudices about tools or desires for land?--Andrea Meyer<br />
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I don't think similar gender roles would have solved all the problems between Native American and European relations but I think it definitely would have helped the situation. Had they been more alike, both sides ethnocentrism would not have been so strong. I think this would have reduced the tension between the groups. People fear what they don't understand. --Alex K.<br />
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We have several accounts of Native men being introduced to European ideas about gender and the absolute rights European men had in the 17th century. How frequently and quickly did Natives apply these ideas, and how did the application process disrupt Native family dynamics? Because all our accounts are from Europeans, we really don't have any sense of how things were within the Native families when European ideas were experimented with. Did Native women resist European ideals or did some accept these "new" roles?--Andrea Meyer<br />
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It’s amazing that over 300 years later we are running into the same storylines. The story of Sarah Ahhaton committing adultery sounds as if it could’ve been taken right off the front pages of People Magazine. It’s surprising to see the parallels between our two time periods. Sarah accused her husband, William, of philandering long before he became suspicious and jealous of her relationship with Joseph. Yet, William was not put on trial and was not questioned about his unfaithfulness. It was Sarah who was wrongfully accused, pleaded innocent, and was ridiculed before she had even committed the sin (granted William did have a right to speculate- but that’s not the point). Why wasn’t William ever questioned about his running around? And what about Joseph- he gets off scot-free! What we see here is something that has continually found its way into society: the double standard.- Lisa Wilkerson<br />
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In Woloch page 21, the recollections of Mary Jemison, I was really struck by her point of view on the work and labor of Indian women. "Our labor was not severe... Notwithstanding the Indian women have all the fuel and bread to procure, and the cooking to perform, their task is probably not harder that that of white women, who have those articles provided for them; and their cares certainly are not half as numerous, nor half as great." As a European woman now being held in captivity, I think it's a more trustworthy look at the work of Indian women versus the work of white women. -- Vanessa Smiley<br />
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One of the things I personally liked about the Woloch reading was that she, right from the get go, reminded us that most women in the early period were not literate -- they could not read or write and therefore most of what we know about them comes from men or writings of elite, white women. I think that we, as historians need to keep that in mind when analyzing and studying these sorts of materials because more often than not, these stories and facts are altered or skewed in some way. -- Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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In the reading posted on Black Board it talks about how Christianity changed the gender roles and how women were treated. It shocked me that the women were summoned to a council and told that their influence basically had caused demons to come into the village (at least thats the impression I got). Also in that reading I saw how native american society ended up being very similar to the European society in which women were expected to be pure and loyal only to her husband and if she wasn't she was punished where as well men were SUPPOSED to be they often weren't and weren't punished for their adultery. I also am wondering why women let themselves be pushed into a role where they had less influence, if I had been in that position I'm positive I would have fought back. Does anyone else have thoughts on the black board reading?- Elizabeth Frank<br />
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I noticed that Father Le Leune cites the possible corruption of Indian men as the main reasoning behind the conversion of Indian women: "for the boys that we shall have reared in the knowledge of God, when they marry Savage girls or women accustomed to wandering in the woods, will, as their husbands, be compelled to follow them and thus fall back into barbarism, or to leave them." Did anyone else find this an interesting extension of the Christian concepts of original sin and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden? -- Ashley Hamilton<br />
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One of the contributing reasons for some native women losing power and not "fighting back" might have been the fact that European's justified their lifestyle and gender roles with lessons from Christianity. Wrestling with a new notion of God must have been unbelievably overwhelming and with the threat of hell looming perhaps women surrendered power, in part, because of fear of the consequences of acting against Christianity or European morals. - Kelly Martin<br />
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I found it pretty interesting in the Woloch reading the complete opposite views of the two women captives. Mary Rowlandson seems to really hate being with the Indians even while she was trying to figure out why God had allowed this to happen to her. She also seemed to contridict herself as far as her treatment..sometimes harshly and sometimes with mercy. The other captive Mary Jemison chose to stay with her captives even though they killed all of her relatives. She even says her situation was easy (pg 20). She even describes her Indian "sisters" as "peaceable and mild in their dispositions; temperment and decent in their habits, and very tender and gentle" towards her (pg21). I wonder if the difference is just how each individual tribe responded to the settlers or if was because of the time periods they lived in? Did the Indians attitude towards the settlers change that dramatically? ~~Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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I think it is really important to remember, as we are reading Mary Rowlandson's narrative, that she had just lost a child. A lot of her animosity and unhappiness could be attributed to the sadness of losing a child rather than the harsh and savage treatment of the Native Americans. Maybe this is why there are some inconsistencies in here account. Such as describing Native Americans as cruel but one paragraph later mentioning how one family took her in and fed her. -- Allison J. <br />
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I agree with Alison about Rowlandson's account of captivity might have been influenced by her sadness. Also, Rowlandson was described as a "middle-aged minister's wife," while at the time of her initial capture, Jemison was a teenager. I wonder how much Rowlandson's previous life experiences and beliefs influenced her views on the natives. Rowlandson's account of the natives seems inconsistent. One could speculate that Rowlandson's opinions about the Native Americans were formed prior to her capture and this might contribute to her negative view of them. -Kelly Martin<br />
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I also agree with you, Allison, but if you read some of what Mary Rowlandson discusses, at one point she actually takes food from a starving child who is also a captive (pg 15). As a general question, do you believe she would do this sort of thing out of spite towards children? Or was she merely just trying to survive in what she considered a horrid world? -- Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I completely agree with Lisa on the Sarah Ahhaton reading. I wonder, though, why was Joseph's mother who seemed to be setting the whole affair up never confronted? She seems like she was intentionally trying to get things started between Sarah and Joseph, and Sarah ends up taking all the blame and punishment. I think at the very least Joseph should have been held accountable for his part but maybe that is just putting my values on them. I wonder why when it was so easy for Indian women or men to divorce, why was Sarah made into such an example? ~~Mary Beth Conrad<br />
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In discussing Sarah Ahhaton, I think it's important to remember that Sarah was a converted Indian; her husband was a Native American Christian minister, and she herself was a professed Christian. While it may have been easy for Indian men and women to divorce before contact with Europeans, Sarah's conversion makes her, to a certain extent, subject to the same moral code and laws governing Christians. As an Indian, moreover, she would possibly be under even more scrutiny as Europeans expected Indians to return to their "savage" ways. -- Ashley Hamilton<br />
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I found it rather interesting when reading Woloch's passage (on page 4) that a few Indian women actually benefited from European arrival. Those women in hunting tribes benefited through expanded fur trade. While I realize that the majority of women suffered an extremely negative impact from the Europeans, I found this example somewhat unusual. -- Elizabeth H.<br />
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Replying to Andrea Meyers question up above, I too thought about that at first. It's not like European men just expected their wives to just lull about and look pretty. However, I don't think Europeans didn't think women should not do any work I think it was just based on the kind of work they did. Women should not to do work in the fields, however they should do work in the house. It's also a lot less rigourous. Men should be in the fields. -- Emily Miller<br />
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I also thought it was really interesting to see the differences in opinion between the captive stories of Mary Jemison and Mary Rowlandson. As Allison said above, it is important to note that Mary Rowlandson did loose a child. I think some other factors that account for their differences could be that Mary Jemison was younger when she was taken and didn’t have a husband or children. Also, Rowlandson was taken during a period of harship and war for the natives serving as her captors. This could account for more harsh living conditions. <br />
-- Jennifer Feldhaus<br />
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(Plane Essay) Did the fact that Sarah Ahhaton told the story to an Englishman have any effect on the narrative? Could the Englishman have perhaps asked leading questions that may have skewed her story? - F.Cobb<br />
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I was interested by the two writings of the English man and woman who had been adopted into an Native American tribe to replace children who had died. (Mary Jemison writing in Woloch and John Tanner in MP). Was this a common practice? Why were the Native Americans so accepting of white people? Perhaps the two writings are just examples of the exception rather than the norm? - F. Cobb<br />
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>>to answer your question, yes it was a common practice to adopt prisoners of war as substitutes for fallen kinsmen/women. Frequently there was some type of ritual that tested the adoptee which is was Jemison was talking about at the beginning of her account. If the person was able to handle the test he or she was adopted. (Julie Castanien) <br />
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It was interesting to read John Heckewelder’s passage on Indian marriages because they are different from the European or American institution of marriage. For instance marriages among Indians are not contracts for life, there are no vows, or promises and either party can leave whenever they please. Heckewelder describes an Indian marriage being more like a working partnership where the husband performs certain tasks such as building the house and hunting and the woman acts as his help mate and labors in the field. I would have loved to read more about different aspects of Indian marriages instead of just learning about the work that both parties perform and that divorce is not viewed as seriously as it was in Europe and America at the time. Unfortunately since so few first hand records remain we have to rely on white European men’s accounts which leave out important details and always carry bias.-Caitlin Quinn<br />
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I get the impression that Samuel de Champlain was rather surprised at the physical appearance of the Native Americans. His statements about their physical presence really seem to give me the impression that those back-home in Europe were really at a loss as to what to expect in the New World. The statement that their skin color is beautiful, "although olive" was rather amusing for its historical value. Also of interest was John Tanner's talk of being drunk and of his Native American adopted mother, Net-no-kwa, being drunk. The native Americans had whiskey? And was drunkeness something common? That always seemed like a western, European thing to me. John was supposedly drunk for two days, and did nobody really notice? I guess it really gives the modern person a real sense of their life span when a thirteen year old boy would be drunk for two days and nobody really reacting to it. It was also interesting to see how the trade of John was affected by, as it seems, getting everybody tipsy. -Chris Plummer<br />
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Just as a general question, was Mary Jemison's situation common, in the sense that she did not want to move back into white society when the Native Americans allowed her to? Perhaps she chose to remain with the Native Americans because she was captured when she was young and life with the Native Americans was the only life she knew and felt comfortable in. ~Katherine S.~<br />
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In response to Kelly's comment about Mary Rowlandson taking food from a starving child, I think Mary was just trying to survive in what she considered a horrid world. It seemed to me that she had an attitude of every person for themselves, and she was looking out for herself by eating the child's food. ~Katherine S.~<br />
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>>Whoops I made an error in my input, I mistakenly placed my input under the discussion tab sorry>> ...Better teach the girls for they will corrupt the boys. I’m sure this sentence got most of you upset. It got me upset when I read the short blackboard article of Father Le Jeune. It seems that once again girls would lead the God fearing boys into the path of barbarism and the evil that it entails. This very much parallels with the Biblical account of Adam and Eve where of course Eve brought sin upon all of humankind. Also is Le Jeune referring men and women as boys and girls, belittling Indian adults as mere children? Sort of elevating himself as a lofty religious figurehead whereas the Indian adults are mere children since they are only beginning to understand God. Le Jeune’s account reminds me of the domesticity issues of the mid 20th century as in Elaine Tyler May’s book Homeward Bound, where the sex of women, if left untamed by men, were compared to being radioactively explosive thus leading men to the path of destruction. –John Furner<br />
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Out of curiosity, (at least, I don't think anyone's mentioned this yet) what did everyone think of the Chinook tale at the end of the Woloch readings? It describes what the Indians saw when the Europeans approached which is a different point of view than most historians are used to. Thoughts? -- Kelly Wuyscik<br />
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I found this weeks readings to be strikingly similar to those I covered in Prof. Poska's Gender and Empire course last semester. We spent most of the semester discussing how the different nations, particullary England, France, Spain, Portugal and the Danes, encountered the Natives of the New World, as well as the gendered social structures of some of the native tribes. The lecture of this week, as well as the reading, does a wonderful job of providing a detailed overview of some of the ideas from the course last semester, particullary the idea that all encounters with the natives were influenced by baises and preconceptions that the european's had about the natives and native culture, as well as european gender constructs. Taking the idea that almost all interactions with the natives were colored by social and gender preconceptions, how much should we trust what the english are writing about, and how much of it should we be leary about using as 'historical fact' and do the documents tell us just about the natives or could they also be used as a way to explore european preconceptions and social/gender expectations? --Katelynn V.<br />
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Does anyone else wonder what happened to the two Europeans at the end of the Chinook Story, The First Ship? --Katelynn V. <br />
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I think the section from Roger Williams is extremely interesting because the words he choose to document tells a lot of English society and what was imporant to the English in marriage and relationships. For example: the english seemed to be concerned about the amount of wives the natives had because he mentions the words for 1,2,3,4...wifes. This makes sense since the english believed that it was proper to only take one wife as stated in the Bible. Also, in that same section Williams lists the characteristics of a traditionally proper and English wife, loving, proper, sober and chast, ect. This seems to point out that in attempting to make sense of the native lifestyle, williams was looking for similarities between the natives and the english through the use of language. As, this type of rudementary dictionary could have been used as a means of converting the natives by explaining how they were expected to act. Maybe, but more likely it was used as a way to simply try and understand the natvies and their culture in terms that the englsih were familiar with. --Katelynn V.<br />
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As a general theme for the readings in Woloch, I see an interest in the Europeans settlers to explore the gender roles of the Native American tribes, but not to understand them. It seems that all observation were commonly related to their own society. With a few exceptions, there was a vivid interest in learning about these people, but only as their gender roles were to be seen as inferior. It is interesting that European women would also agree with this, as it makes me wonder how they felt about their own position and what they wished for it to be. --Robert Kopp<br />
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After reading each piece and considering all the viewpoints represented, the one piece that really stuck out for me was the Heckewelder piece. While I was reading I tried to take into account who the intended audience was and who actually was reading/learning from these pieces. I found the dictionary completely fascinating and imagined it’s usefulness as a guide not only to language but Indian life. I also found the women’s accounts of captivity interesting and questioned who these pieces were written for…were they forms of entertainment? Were they intended to scare or warn people about women? Were they used to enlighten people to the negative/positive aspects of Indians? And what was the point of the story at the end of the chapter? What did it say about Indian culture and/or European culture? However, the one piece that stuck out to me was Heckewelder’s piece and I wondered why he wrote it? Who he wrote it for and why? Was this piece merely an informative piece or was Heckewelder trying to disprove the ideas of Indians as savages? Why did he emphasize the work ethic and power of Indian women as a positive aspect of Indian life? Audience is an important part to consider when reading and certainly something for us to think about for the rest of the semester. – Mary Beth Dillane <br />
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I thought the account about Sarah was interesting especially when the essay further discussed various issues about the situation, for example she and her husband were converts to Christianity and therefore automatically subject to European norms (what is that about?) and how she escapes to Metacom's village, the hotbed of conflict, between Indians and Europeans for protection (a clever idea if she had only stayed but then again maybe they didn't want woman there who had adopted European ways). (Julie Castanien)</div>Mbdillanehttps://mcclurken.umwhistory.org/wiki/index.php?title=Week_1_Questions/CommentsWeek 1 Questions/Comments2007-08-30T01:19:26Z<p>Mbdillane: </p>
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<div> -- Major Problems, 1-23<br />
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The first essay mentions how women were once only seen as important to history because of their relation to important men. A prime example of this is our University. Mary Washington is recognized solely as the mother of George Washington. She is seen as important because of her son not because of any of her own actions. -- Allison<br />
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I think Allison makes an excellent point. I'm reminded of a quote from the movie History Boys. The quote is from the woman history teacher who says, "History is a commentary on the various and continuing incapabilities of men. What is history? History is women following behind with the bucket." She may have some feminist tendencies when saying this, but I think it can be a relevant quote for what Kate Haulman is saying in her essay and the point Allison made. -- Vanessa<br />
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One of my other professors mentioned that history is constantly being reinterpreted and rewritten, so can any of the questions represented by this book ever actually be answered to everyone's satisfaction? -- Allison<br />
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In response to Allison's question: I think that you have a good point. I seriously doubt that any of these questions will ever be answered to everyone's satisfaction. Like in all things there will always be someone who is not satisfied, someone who continues to look for another way to answer the question. Its human nature. You can see that just looking at the essays, even though the historians writing this are all involved in women's history they all have different ideas of how you should go about it and what you should focus on. --Mary<br />
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There was one section while reading that stood out for me and that was the part on page twelve about equality and difference. I found it interesting that she should mention the idea that so often in the search for women's "equality" women want to be treated as if they were men and often over look the differences between men and women because they have often been used as a basis for discimination. While this section was very confusing, in my opinion at least, just because of the strong and opposing opinions about the subject, personally I think that just because a woman wants to be seen as an equal to a man in the eyes of society and in the eyes of the law that is no reason to set aside her femininity. --Mary<br />
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In regards to Mary's comment, I agree that equality should never be awarded based on one's femininity. The dichotomy was a contrast between feminists who deny difference between males and females and those who use their differences as a strength or access to power. I think it is vital to realize that "femininity" is a construct that has been forced upon women. "Femininity" and "Masculinity" have regulated gender politics and certainly there is nothing wrong with expressing either- but they are just labels that have been oppressive to those who wish to transcend their designated gender roles. I think that there would be value in discussing from where "femininity" stems and how free thought is and has been affected by this construct. --Kelly<br />
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I'd like to pose a question of opinion, if permitted, in response to Mary's and Kelly's comments. It's a situation that I know many instances of and wonder about what everyone else thinks of it. Woman A wants to go to college, get a degree, and continue her education (perhaps to get a masters or doctorate). She hopes to achieve a full and lengthy career while maintaining a family life. Woman B wants to finish college but her main goal is to start a family and stay at home to take care of her children and the household. She has no desire for a career and is more than satisfied with her life as a stay-at-home mom/homemaker. I don't really have a follow-up question other than to open the floor to opinion, but is there anything wrong with either woman's goals and should either be seen as less-equal or more equal than the other? -- Vanessa<br />
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In response to Vanessa's comment, I don't believe the issue should be whether or not one woman's goals are more or less equal to those of the other woman. The important issue is that women have the choice to pursue an education and career and/or they have the choice to become mothers and care for their households. We have come a long way in history considering the choice was not always there. -- Elizabeth<br />
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I agree with Elizabeth but also think that looking at what influences a woman's life goal could potentially be telling. I would be curious about how the goals of Woman A and B have been supported by their peers, the media, and other outside forces. --Kelly <br />
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I have been a stay at home mom but I also held a part-time job if hours that were different from my husbands. This was a way I could balanace a career and be a mother at the same time. It was difficult but I had plenty of support from my family, peers and others. The only thing I put on hold was my education. Hopefully this coming spring I will graduate.--Cheryl<br />
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Women's history has come a long way. I agree with Gerda Lerner when she says "the striking fact about the historiography of women is the general neglect of the subject by historians." (p.8). There is something about the neglect of women's studies that makes us want to focus even more on their history. --Katie<br />
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Knowing that it is gender that defines "man" and "woman", or "male" and "female", what exactly truely defines the category "women"? --Katie<br />
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I believe that when studying women's history it is easy to get caught up in the oppression of women. It's important to remember that not all cultures were as oppressive over women as were European societies. We know that many Native American women had a stronger role in soceity than most European women. This is not to say that women were never oppressed, rather that depending on the soceity of study, women's roles were different.-- Elizabeth<br />
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In response to Elizabeth's comment: I definitely agree. In fact, while I was reading the essays, I kept reminding myself about the different situations of women throughout history, like Native Americans as you mentioned. However, not focusing on oppression is sometimes hard to do as Leslie Alexander points out, some scholars seek to incoroporate race into their studies and end up "focusing exclusively on oppression" (20).--Kaitlyn<br />
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In her essay Alexander argued that historians are "reluctant to explore how the reality of race influences Black women's lives." What is the cause of this reluctance? Can this statement also be applied to all minority women? - Fiona<br />
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The authors argue that women's history needs to be examined from multiple angles: class, race, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, age, work, etc. Is this possible? Would it still be women's history or would it become something like African American women's history or Latino women's history? - Fiona<br />
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I don't think the reading covered this so i was curious if anyone else knew- How did the study of women specifically in history begin? did it begin with the feminist movements?- Elizabeth<br />
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As Cheryl states below, the preface states the basic reasons that this topic came into play. 1) the feminist movement in the 1960s and 2) women began to enter into the field of history and historical study as a result of employment opportunities that they had not previously been given. And one reason seems to be the result of the other. - Kelly W.<br />
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In the preface of the book, more details are given about the study of women's histroy.--Cheryl<br />
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I was actually curious about the same thing. I believe one of the authors mentioned that the field of study stretched all the way back to the 1950s (I could be wrong). That being said, with the ever-changing role of women in society, how do you think the study of women's history has changed since its beginning and how do you think it will change in the future?--Kaitlyn<br />
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Why would the feminist movement be thought of as damaging to Women's Studies? I would think that it would be a positive thing so that women can see where they've been and how they could advance. - Elizabeth<br />
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To comment on Allison’s Mary Washington statement that opened this discussion, Bock’s essay makes a great point in her public v. private dichotomy. She says, “male workers, male politicians and male scholars perform their tasks only because they are born, reared, and cared for by the women’s labor”(10). Thus, George is a public reflection of Mary’s private raising. We are able to see the woman Mary was through the man George became.--Lisa<br />
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How does one determine what is gender neutral? Especially when it comes to applying gender neutrallity to laws that invovled violence like rape and battery?--Cheryl<br />
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There is a comment somewhere amongst these essays that states that women’s history is a compilation of only the exceptional women from history, thus creating a history that is unrepresentative of every woman. Isn’t most history (not just women’s history) we read that of the extraordinary and not the commonplace?--Lisa<br />
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In response to your question, Lisa, I'd have to agree with you on that one. Most history we study from grade school through our current education focuses primarily on major events, not only of women, but of men as well. Discussions are always based on the extraordinary and the only way we tap into the lives of the commonplace is by digging for primary sources and analyzing what we can. I feel however, that the field is slowly beginning to expand and bring the commonplace closer to the center. (I think that made sense). - Kelly W <br />
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In her essay "Challenging Dichotomies in Women's History," Gisela Bock states that women appeared front and center in the historian's eye because of their subjectivity and that "women are not only victims but also actively shape their own lives, society and history." How does everyone feel about this statement? Do you agree that it was also partly at the fault of women that the gender was not previously studied? - Kelly W<br />
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It was actually a surprise to me how indepth the discussion of "women's history" really is. I had always been under the simple assumption that women's history was just precisely that: history of women. The reality that such a two word phrase would contain so many issues regarding gender, race, class... appears very important, despite my previous assumptions. The idea that women's history was actually 'white women's history' was an observation that jumped out at me. It seems so easy to fight for a perspective/focus in history with the goal of some type of equality while at the same time ignoring a whole type of inequality in your focus. The sections dealing with the multiple dichotomies was very interesting, considering how even today such phrases are used. In the case of "work and family," its interesting to see how a practical consideration of "paid and unpaid work" was given a more ethical/moral (perhaps even a religious/theological one?) with the phrase "work and family" -it makes me wonder what other dichotomies in society that seem to be ethical or social values are at base purely practical ones. --Chris Plummer<br />
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I would first like to start by commenting to Allison’s opening statement about women’s history in relation to men and would like to throw out another question. Considering the time period we are focusing on in this class and the mostly male-dominated/patriarchal society of the time is it contextually appropriate to only focus on women without considering important men both publicly and privately in women’s lives? I think Haulman brings up an extremely important part of understanding women’s historiography and that was the need and desire to have a history of all types, classes, races, etc. of women but can we do that without some comparison to men? (particularly in this half of the course). I also think Haulman, Castaneda, and Alexander brought up an important point about titles and incorporating women of color. In my research for my 299 paper I came across research and studies about minority groups in the 1960s women’s movement, how they viewed the women’s movement, how they participated, and how they viewed the predominantly white, middle class woman’s struggle compared to theirs. It made me think of other titles such as the “History of African Americans” and what that title would mean broken down. ----Mary Beth Dillane</div>Mbdillane Deprecated: header(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($response_code) of type int is deprecated in /home/umwhisto/public_html/mcclurken/wiki/includes/WebResponse.php on line 38