Republican motherhood was an ideology that represented women’s roles before, during, and after the American Revolution. Historians like Linda Kerber have cited John Locke’s Treatises of Government as likely inspiration for this concept. The idea of republican motherhood served to ensure the domestic tranquility of the new nation by teaching and reinforcing patriotic knowledge and fervor at home. This ideology was deeply ambivalent, as revolutionary ideology and republican motherhood were new but neither did away with coverture.
Republican motherhood meant that women, more than men, were responsible for raising good children, instilling virtue necessary to ensure the survival of the nation. It also confirmed that women had a profound influence on the political values of the American Republic. As wives and mothers, they found ways to maintain their cultural femininity while adhering to the ideology of Republican Motherhood.
The religious movement of the Second Great Awakening accompanied this pervasive ideal of republican motherhood in the early 1800s. This idea of an educated woman became known as “republican motherhood”. Although changes for women would not come overnight, it encouraged the education of women and invested their traditional sphere with dignity and importance.
The Enlightenment ideal of perfecting the person also led to Republican Motherhood, as this concept focused on how women could edify their own morality and faith in the home. Republican Motherhood helped alleviate the controversy over women’s education, as it was seen as an educated woman who could be spared the criticism.
📹 American Pageant Chapter 15 Review APUSH
Topics: Age of Reform 1790-1860 2nd Great Awakening, Deism, Unitarianism, Charles Finney, Age of Reform, Mormons, Brigham …
Notes from the article to copy into your notes 🙂 APUSH Ch. 15 Liberalism in religion → Deism: Less revelation, more reliance on reason Less Bible, more science → Unitarianism: Spinoff from less extreme Puritanism of the past Humans have free will and the possibility of salvation by good works. God isn’t a stern creator, but a loving father (contrast w/ hellfire doctrines of Calvinism Rejects predestination and human wickedness 2nd Great Awakening Reasons: Concern over lack of religious zea; Ideas of deism/unitarianism -Waves of revivals spread across the country -Charles Finney: revival preacher who lead revivals in NY area in 1830s -Numerous citizens are convertes, born again -Church’s attendance increases -New religious sects form, methodists and Baptists increase in numbers -Stressed personal conversion, not predestination -Democratic control of church’s affairs -Increase in evangelicalism → inspires reform effort → prison reform, temperance, women’s movement, anti-slavery -Key role of women in religion → majority of new church’s members → women bring family back to god → inspired involvement in various other reform efforts Mormons -Joseph Smith → travels to Illinois → murdered in 1844 -Brigham Young takes over, leads the followers to Utah in 1846-47 → develops a separate community → prosperous cooperative frontier community → settlement increases -Utah will not be admitted until 1896 bc of polygamy (controversial) Age of Reform → Dorothea Dix Worked tirelessly to reform mental health treatment Traveled the country to document the problem Leads to prof.