Republican Motherhood Blog

 

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

       Before the Revolutionary War, the education of women was considered unnecessary and was even discouraged. Colonists believed that women's domestic role was dictated by God. However, with the Revolutionary War, women began to take on a slightly more prominent role in society by furthering revolutionary aims. Women srongly advocated for the boycott of British goods and made many products at home. Women held up the homefront against Native Americans and British troops while their husbands were at war. Betsy Ross sewed the new American flag and several women's patriotic societies spang up across the colonies. Because of the war, women were given opportunities to break traditional gender roles. This caused a change in the way that society viewed them when the war was over.

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

The Rupublican Motherhood elevated the importance of women's domestic roles in colonial society. The mother was now respsonsible for the upbringing of a new nation. She was needed to raise the country's future citizens and instill in them a sense of nationalism and civic interest. Her education was considered important, in limited fields, so that she could better educate her children and effectively manage her household.

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

  Though the ideology of Republican Motherhood did little on the legislative end of women's socialization, it did change public opinion. Women's role in family life and society was viewed with greater importance. This was a necessary first step towards eliminating traditional gender roles.

 

 

 

1.       Describe the setting.

A mother and her two children are seen sitting on a sofa inside of a modest, neat home. Light illuminates the face of Mrs. Tilgham.

 

2.      Who serves at the center of the portrait and why?  How does the woman look?  How is she “republican” rather than aristocratic?

Mrs. Tilgham is placed at the center. The ideology of Republican Motherhood established a mother's vital, central role in family life and child upbringing.  For this reason, Mrs. Tilgham is seated between her two children in the middle of the canvas. Her hair and attire are simple and modest instead of ornate. She does not appear to be trying to impress her peers by her clothing choice as an aristocratic woman might. The room she is seated in and other material things she might own are unimportant. Instead, the focus is on her and her children. She appears to be happy but not idle.

3.      What values do her sons exhibit?

Her sons appear to be well behaved and mellow characters. They sit peacefully with their mother and do not make trouble.

4.      Is there a significance to the position of Mrs. Tilgham’s arm?

    Mrs. Tilgham's arm is placed protectively over her child. This reflects a republican mother's new relationship with her children. Maternal affections certainly existed, but the mother was also directly responsible for guiding her children through their intellectual development. The deliberate arm placement symoblizes this guidance and the crucial, active role mother's were expected to take on.