History Lecture 10 15 2013 The Coquette and the Novel in Early America Key Terms Republican Motherhood Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Cult of True Womanhood Why read a novel in a history course Think about novel as a primary source The Printing Industry Helped spread ideas The late 18th century witnessed a shift o From subscription based publishing to mass production Symbolizes a change in the way the everyday person was consuming printed materials o From hand presses to mechanized printing Cost of these items decreased o Increased northern dominance Distribution of Printed Materials The importance of imports From local to national markets After the Revolution a novel typically cost between 75 cents and 1 50 Ben Franklin created the first lending library Who read books In 1675 only about 25 of male household owners could sign their name In 1775 nearly all white men and 75 of white women could sign their name About 1 in 7 slaves in Boston in the 18th century could read Republican Motherhood 1780s o An ideology which emerges after the Revolution o The Notion that it was a woman s civic duty to educate their children as the next generation s virtuous citizens o Women are finally thought to have a political role in society o Progressive It recognised women s ability as political actors o Acknowledgement that women should be educated o Conservative It limited women s political influence to the fomestic realm o Significant because it was a revaluation of women s roles in society Public Schooling post Revolution Education seen as central to citizenship Most new states mandated support for publicly funded education in their Constitutions People had hopes from education transforming the new nation and that Native Americans could become true citizens o Missionaries and mission schools proliferated among Indian tribes Girls gained more access to public elementary education and academies opened for wealthy girls Northwest Ordinance of 1787 o Established a means by which the US could expand westward o Four promises New states would be admitted on equal footing Sale of land would fund public education o First form of federal aid Slavery would not exist in the territory incorporated in the Northwest Ordinance Good faith effort toward respecting Native American lands Theory versus Practice Racial restrictions in public education o Black children if they attended school at all attended separate schools One study of Boston found that 21 of children ages 4 15 attended school in 1789 Poor learning conditions within schools o children were encouraged to simply memorize things no critical thinking o Class sizes were large ranging in ages Girls were not always admitted and when they were lower attendance standards applied o Reflects the fact that education was not seen as important for girls and there were lower expectations Poor children were lucky if they could learn how to read The rise of the novel The genre The Readers o Self education Anti novel arguments o About 100 American novels were written between 1789 and 1820 o They rarely made any money but were wildly popular People feared novels o would lower productivity o Encourage individualism o Debased morals Romance and passion over self control Why do novels matter Represent an emerging national culture Popularity suggests education levels were increasing Debates over virtue Cult of True Womanhood o 1800s 1860s o A powerful ideology perpetuated though print culture religion public and private discourses o Ideology never complete actuality o Ultimate goals Marriage and motherhood o Only white and upper class women could fulfil the ideal o Not all desired to fulfil this ideal o Four key virtues 1 Women should be pious 2 Purity sexual 3 Passive 4 Domestic The family economy Slavery and domesticity Seen clearly within farm families Nineteenth century farm women provided from 1 3 to of their family s food Slaves were often working to make somebody else s home a sanctuary from the outside world instead of their own Slavery and the ideal of family Slaves could not legally marry Up to 1 3 of slave families were disrupted by sale o Motherhood was not respected Rape was a constant danger for slave women Slave women could not conform to the cult of true womanhood Working class urban women Domestic space one family in a single room o Among the very poor several families to a room Worked out of economic necessity Leading female employments Domestic service in another person s home Peddling Boarding house keepers Dressmaking sewing Midwifery Prostitution Conclusion The cult of true womanhood defined which women were to be respected and who could be ridiculed