Why Were Republican Mothers Bad Mothers?

Republican Motherhood is a 20th-century term that refers to the belief that women’s roles in the emerging United States before, during, and after the American Revolution were based on upholding the ideals of republicanism. This ideology was credited with increasing women’s active roles in other social and political spheres. Republican mothers were expected to be content managing their households efficiently and supporting their children.

The American Revolution ignited these changes, as education and respect led to the rise of women’s roles in politics and economics. The ideology of Republican Motherhood meant that women, more than men, were responsible for raising good children and instilling virtue necessary for the survival of the nation. Republican mothers were expected to educate their sons for civic virtue and condemn and correct their husband’s lapses from it.

The letters to John Adams highlight both a darker side and more complex understanding of this concept: mothers willing to sacrifice their children for the new nation. By teaching and reinforcing patriotic knowledge and fervor at home, republican mothers would ensure the domestic tranquility of the new nation. However, some argue that neo-Republicanism is bad for women, as it obscures how motherhood operates as a site in which power distinguishes between good and bad mothers and allocates resources.

The GOP is finally debating what families need to thrive, but they are still getting it wrong. Progressives have undertaken a robust effort to discredit, demonize, and bludgeon Republican women, focusing on the belief that patriots’ daughters should be raised to uphold republican values to pass them on to the next generation.