Difference between revisions of "426--Week 3 Questions/Comments--Tuesday"
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Did anyone else notice in chapter 7 of "American Manhood" the paragraph that stated that a woman's fortune, social standing and reputation depended on that of her husband's? My mind went immediately to Abigail and Greenleaf Patch. Their story seems to be a perfect example of this. No matter what Abigail did to try to improve her family's station in life after she divorced Greenleaf, she could never climb out of the hole her husband dug for her. According to Rotundo this power that belonged to the man gave him the authority to make decisions regarding the family's welfare even if, as in the example of Henry Poor's poor financial decisions, they weren't the most rational. But Rotundo admits later that this wasn't the case in all marriages and some couples appointed one person or the other to make certain decisions depending on their individual strengths and needs. Thank goodness for that! Celia M. | Did anyone else notice in chapter 7 of "American Manhood" the paragraph that stated that a woman's fortune, social standing and reputation depended on that of her husband's? My mind went immediately to Abigail and Greenleaf Patch. Their story seems to be a perfect example of this. No matter what Abigail did to try to improve her family's station in life after she divorced Greenleaf, she could never climb out of the hole her husband dug for her. According to Rotundo this power that belonged to the man gave him the authority to make decisions regarding the family's welfare even if, as in the example of Henry Poor's poor financial decisions, they weren't the most rational. But Rotundo admits later that this wasn't the case in all marriages and some couples appointed one person or the other to make certain decisions depending on their individual strengths and needs. Thank goodness for that! Celia M. | ||
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| + | I agree that this chapter deals only with newly urbanized areas. Was this development of a more individualized, nurturing family the norm once the other parts of the country became industrialized or was this solely a New England thing? --Kari | ||
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| + | I really enjoyed reading this chapter in Mintz and Kellogg. It was interesting reading about the roles of women. This time period showed a significant increase in women's responsibilities from only being submissive to their husbands to actually being able to be in control of property and their own wages. Also, I found it interesting that men wanted women to raise the next generation of patriots. Its fascinating that throughout history, wars always bring more rights to women. Although a lot of those, like jobs, are taken away when the men come home, it always leaves a lasting effect. -- Kari | ||
