1

Re-Imaginin

g Freedom for All:

Antebellum Woman’s

Rights Movements

2

Intimate Oppressi

on• What does the phrase What does the phrase

“intimate oppression“intimate oppression”” mean to you?mean to you?

• The law of coverture, The law of coverture, or the law of the or the law of the marital relationmarital relation

3

Woman's Rights Petition to the New York Woman's Rights Petition to the New York Legislature, 1854Legislature, 1854

ResolvedResolved, That the men who claim to be , That the men who claim to be Christian[s] . . . and yet class their mothers, Christian[s] . . . and yet class their mothers,

sisters, wives, and daughters among . . . sisters, wives, and daughters among . . . criminals, idiots, and minors, unfit to be their criminals, idiots, and minors, unfit to be their

coequal citizens, are guilty of absurd coequal citizens, are guilty of absurd inconsistency and presumption; that for males to inconsistency and presumption; that for males to

govern females, without consent asked or govern females, without consent asked or granted, is . . . utterly hostile to the principles and granted, is . . . utterly hostile to the principles and

spirit of free institutions. . . .spirit of free institutions. . . .

In short, women were accorded the legal

(non)status of children, servants, slaves, and the mentally incompetent.

4

Why, then, did women’s reform movements take off in

Antebellum America even as the “cult of domesticity” consigned

them to the sphere of home and family?

5

From 1820 to 1861, the U.S. witnessed an

unprecedented growth of movements seeking to

perfect the individual and nation.

• Why did large and broad reform Why did large and broad reform movements arise during these years? movements arise during these years?

• In which reform movements were diverse In which reform movements were diverse women represented and why?women represented and why?

6

Transformation of the United States after 1820

Market economyMarket economy

Transportation Transportation

revolutionrevolution

UrbanizationUrbanization

Agriculture to Agriculture to

manufacturingmanufacturing

1.1. Rise of middling Rise of middling classclass

2.2. Social stratification Social stratification of women of women

3.3. Separation of menSeparation of men’’s s and womenand women’’s s spheresspheres

HomHomee

Sphere of Sphere of Commerce & Commerce &

PoliticsPolitics

Sphere of Sphere of Family, Kin, Family, Kin,

& & CommunityCommunity

7

The Rise of the Self-Made Man, the Female

Consumer, and Middle-Class Family Life

The Home as the Site of The Home as the Site of Female Moral Suasion and Female Moral Suasion and

AuthorityAuthority

8

According to

prevailing gender norms, “true

women” were:

• PiousPious• ChasteChaste• DomesticDomestic• Cheerfully Cheerfully submissivesubmissive

9The Life & Age of Woman (New York: Currier & Ives, 1850)

10

Unintended

consequences:

Middle-class families:Middle-class families:

Greenhouses for Greenhouses for female sorority and female sorority and

solidaritysolidarity

Carol Smith-Rosenberg’s argument

complements Sklar’s conclusion that

women’s activism arose from their

religious and abolitionist activities.

““The Female World of The Female World of Love and RitualLove and Ritual””

11

Likewise, American women “framed”

their activism as an extension of their familial roles:

maternalism, social house keepingIn this way, they either defied In this way, they either defied

the conventions of True the conventions of True Womanhood or bent them to Womanhood or bent them to

their own purposes.their own purposes.

12

1800 to 1820s: Mobilizations for Good Works

Goal: to translate God’s word in to good worksto translate God’s word in to good works

Formative Forces:

• Second Great AwakeningSecond Great Awakening• Growth of the middle class Growth of the middle class • Women as authorities in the domestic and moral Women as authorities in the domestic and moral spheresspheres• Female sociability at home and in congregations: Female sociability at home and in congregations: associationsassociations

Purposes: Salvation and charitySalvation and charity

From Good Works to Struggles for Civic Equality

13

1830s to 1840s: Campaigns for Moral Reform

(The nation’s first explicitly female social movement)

Goal:Goal: to perfect human society and put the gospel into action to perfect human society and put the gospel into action

Formative Forces:Formative Forces: • Separation of church and state (1760 - 1830): empowerment of laity, Separation of church and state (1760 - 1830): empowerment of laity, womenwomen• Re-interpretation of female morality = women’s voluntary Re-interpretation of female morality = women’s voluntary associations associations • Decreasing birth rates and increasing visibility of predatory male Decreasing birth rates and increasing visibility of predatory male sexualitysexuality

Programs and Campaigns:Programs and Campaigns:• Sexual abstinence and the elimination of the sexual double standard Sexual abstinence and the elimination of the sexual double standard and prostitutionand prostitution• AbolitionismAbolitionism• TemperanceTemperance• EducationEducation• Social welfare programs for the mentally ill, etc.Social welfare programs for the mentally ill, etc.

Tactics:Tactics:• Legislative petitionsLegislative petitions• Moral reform propagandaMoral reform propaganda• Visitation by ladies’ committees to the subjects of reformVisitation by ladies’ committees to the subjects of reform• Group housing and employment services for single and/or poor Group housing and employment services for single and/or poor womenwomen

14

1840s to 1860, Pressure Politics for Equal Rights

Goals:Goals: to establish women’s equality with men at law to establish women’s equality with men at law

Formative ForcesFormative Forces::• Legacy of abolitionism:Legacy of abolitionism:

oo Women’s leadership in and experience of Women’s leadership in and experience of abolitionist campaignsabolitionist campaignsoo Geographic circuit for speakersGeographic circuit for speakersoo Modes of agitationModes of agitationoo Human rights ideologyHuman rights ideology

• Refusal to seat women delegates at international anti-Refusal to seat women delegates at international anti-slavery conferenceslavery conference• Rise of secular humanitarianism and anti-clericalismRise of secular humanitarianism and anti-clericalism

Tactics:Tactics:• Frontal attack on the doctrine of spheres, speaking to Frontal attack on the doctrine of spheres, speaking to mixed audiencesmixed audiences• Petitioning and state legislative campaignsPetitioning and state legislative campaigns• ConventionsConventions

15

Despite their shared commitment to social change, 19th-century

reformers divided over their ideas about race & gender.

Charitable, temperance, and moral reform societies Charitable, temperance, and moral reform societies were usually segregated by race and sex.were usually segregated by race and sex.

Exception:Exception: radical abolitionist organizations radical abolitionist organizations

16

Ideas about class also shaped visions of reform.

Affluent white Affluent white women and men women and men dominated most dominated most charitable and charitable and reform reform organizations.organizations.

During the 1820s During the 1820s and and ‘‘30s, the targets 30s, the targets of reform—the poor, of reform—the poor, wage earners, and wage earners, and the infirm— began to the infirm— began to question whether question whether theythey ought not to ought not to represent their represent their needs and interests.needs and interests.

17

Additionally, reformers conflicted over goals,

strategies, and gender equity.

Members of the AASS

famously clashed at its

1839 meeting over the:

1.1. Terms of Terms of emancipation emancipation

2.2. Morality of Morality of womenwomen’’s s involvements in involvements in abolitionismabolitionism

18

Despite conflicts among reformers, three themes ran

through their diverse movements.1.1. Every individual had a Every individual had a

right to the freedom of right to the freedom of self-rule.self-rule.

2.2. Independent human Independent human beings were moral beings were moral agents, capable of agents, capable of choosing right from choosing right from wrong.wrong.

3.3. Every man, woman, Every man, woman, and child warranted and child warranted protected from the protected from the "arbitrary power" of "arbitrary power" of others (such as others (such as slaveholders or slaveholders or alcoholics) and the alcoholics) and the dangers of poverty, dangers of poverty, intemperance, and intemperance, and infirmity.infirmity.

19

American women also sought to

exert control over their bodies by

campaigning for dress reform.

Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Bloomer Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Bloomer attended the New York Menattended the New York Men’’s State s State Temperance Society meeting while Temperance Society meeting while wearing short hair and bloomerswearing short hair and bloomers..

20

Seneca Falls, New YorkWoman’s Rights Convention 1848

21

Declaration of Sentiments

““The history of mankind The history of mankind is a history of repeated is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations injuries and usurpations

on the part of man on the part of man toward woman, having in toward woman, having in

direct object the direct object the establishment of an establishment of an

absolute tyranny over absolute tyranny over her. . . . He has never her. . . . He has never

permitted her to exercise permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to her inalienable right to the elective franchise. the elective franchise.

He has compelled her to He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the submit to laws, in the

formation of which she formation of which she has no voice. . . .has no voice. . . .””

22

What would happen if the ladies had their way?

23

In 1848, New York In 1848, New York passed a Married passed a Married WomanWoman’’s Property s Property Act—other states Act—other states

followed.followed.

But calls for divorce But calls for divorce reformreform were were

unsuccessful. unsuccessful.

Likewise, women Likewise, women would wait another would wait another

70 years for the 70 years for the vote.vote.

Victory & Defeat