Republican Motherhood

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

• As stated in Document A, women should be the "nursery or the future man and of the undying spirit". This reflects the women's new role in teaching about patriotism a key feature of the Revolutionary War. This is how a Republican Mother shows her patriotism to her country. It was purely in the hands of the women therefore to raise the children with patriotic values, as their husbands were off fighting in the war (Document C).

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

• Had to stay home and take of their children/confined to their domestic spheres (Documents A & B )
• Women gained a vaster knowledge of the world by having more of a literature background (Document B).
• Must instill good Christian values into the children (Document D).

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

• Women before this time were never educated, now they had a right to be educated because it was up to them to properly educate their children (Document B & D). It was a step in the right direction for women's rights by giving them the control of domestic livelihood (Document B & C)

 

1.       Describe the setting.

• This picture is a portrait of Mary Gibson Tilghman and her sons by Charles Willson Peale from 1789. She has a son in her lap, who is dressed up in a dress and has long hair, the style of that time period. The are seated upon a elegantly designed coral couch.  Both Mary and her son in blue have hints of smiles on their faces.

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

• The center of this portrait is Mrs. Tilghman because she is a republican mother, it is therefore her duty to be the center of her sons' world and to be a commanding figure. She is dressed fashionably but not overly-flaunting herself. Her republicanism is in her simplicity and yet elegance of her clothing.

3.      What values do her sons exhibit?

• Her sons reflect her values. They as well are dressed simply yet nicely. They are calm and not rambunctious. That they were able to sit still while this picture was painted shows their value for calmness and for obedience.

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

• The significance in the position of her arm is found in that it rets reassuringly on her wilder child restraining him from moving and showing him how he should act in this republican society. She is asserting her dominance with that restraining hand. The fact that  her hand isn't resting on her other son's shoulder shows that he has grown up and learned how to act, and that her young son is in the process of learning the new patriotic ideas.