Republican Motherhood Blog

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

The war allowed the roles of housewifery to expand. Before the mindset was focused on raising children and taking care of the home, however later expanded into "training good citizens." The most important roles of housewives who were now in the transition to Republican Mothers was to guide her children "along the pleasant paths of knowledge." (Doc A) Also, there was an increasing push for the education of women although the subjects studied were never in depth. The main purpose in educating these women was so that they could pass on the knowledge that they possessed to their sons. (Doc B)

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

The consequences were that there was a higher expecation of women to take care of the home and most importantly pass on their educations to the children. Women may have at times considered this a great burden as "she may never herself step beyond the threshold" of her home. According to Jonathan F. Stearns, in the Discourse on Female Influence, the "fate" of the country was solely in the hand of women and the decisions they made. (Doc D)

 3.) What is the signifcance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women's socialization?

It was believed in Thoughts Upon Female Education by Benjamin Rush, that the stage of Republican Motherhood would encourage a furthur education in order "to prepare [women] for the duties of social and domestic life." Also with this education a woman could properly socialize and educate her children in order to later benefit the world when they became adults.

1.) The setting of this portrait is in the home, where women spent their time caring for the children and the house. The clothing of the subjects, most clearly the little boy in blue implies that the family has spome wealth. The couch and the picture frame in the background also may lead one to this conclusion.

2.) The little boy in blue servces as the center of this poaiting as evidenced by the emphasis with light on the figure. He serves as the center because it emphasizes the main role that women had in the household during the time which was caring for her children. The woman looks content to be with her children. There is an air of calmness around her. She looks republican rather than aristocratic because of the clothing she is wearing and the sole fact that it is her caring for her kids and not a nanny. She looks happy to be there which implies the relatiponships she has with her children as well.

3.) Her sons exhibit values of sophisitcation and calmness, like their mother. Even in the way that the boy in blue is standing, implies that he is patient, traits that were probably taught by his mother.

4.) It looks as though her arm is separating the two boys and the light on one but not the other suggests that one boy is more important. It may be that the boy in blue represents the effects of a republican mother on society, while the other boy represents the past effects before republican motherhood. However, her arm could also be interpreted as the loving arm of a mother who possesses and intense care for her children.

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

In Washington's Farewell Address, Washington focused on the point to avoid political parties which he believed would split up the country and lead to disunity. He was a strong advocate for national unity throughout his presidency. He believed that without unity, the future success of America would not be possible. Washington also stressed that America should pursue of a policy of isolationism and remain neutral in forgein affairs. In the end, he was very grateful to the people and many were sad to see him leave.

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality stated that the U.S. would maintain friendly relations with each of the powers involved in the war against France which included Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Great Britain, and part of the United Netherlands. It also stated that if any person disrespected these friendly relations then the U.S. would discontinue to protect them and additional punishments would be carried out.

LAD: Federalist #10

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

Factions are difficult to eliminate because they origniate from liberty. They are few solutions in dealing with factions as the options are limited to forcing all the people to believe in the ideas of one faction or to eliminate liberty in a faction. Both are completely outrageous solutions which would probably never sustain any sense of order.

2. If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

Although factions are accepted as things that are almost impossible to be eliminated, if the faction is smaller in size then they will allow for more control. Also, by attempting to break large factions into smaller factions will again provide for more control. The use of the government to one's advantage will help one also take the majority of the people to one's advantage.

Blog #4 - Revolution Article

1.) One intersting thing that I learned from this article was that there were cameras recording various events throughout the war which allows some to know it as the first modern war.

2.) It was America's longest declared was, lasting more than eight years.

3.) More than 100 residents of Braintree, Mass. fell ill some dying, just from the disease spread by the soldiers.

4.) Battles were fought in areas that weren't even bigger than a baseball field.

5.) A soldier taken prisoner had a greater chance of dying in prison than on the battlefield.

LAD #3: Declaration of Independence

1. The Declaration of Independence has many democratic principles within it, most notably the given unalienable rights which includes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration is based of everything that will benefit the people and exists to solely benefit them. The idea that the Declaration was created for the people, by the people is one of the most important democratic principles it is made up of.

2. Along with the democratic principles that were included in the Declaration, there were many grievances, much having to do with Britain, and it's king, that were existent in the document. One grievance was that King George III never passed a law that truly was beneficial to the just the people. Each law always had to benefit him in some way and he did not care if the law benefitted the people or not. Another grievance was the continous creation of new laws and taxes which required the colonists to always pay money to Britain. He did this all without giving them any representation. Additionally, he required the right to British soldiers that allowed them to live in the houses of the colonists, even in times of peace. Lastly, King George III frequently dissolved of representatives that did not side with him while also having a standing army present in the colonies, even in times of peace.

3. In the conclusion, the colonists stated that any sort of connection with them and Britain has now been dissolved and that they are now "fully free independent states." They also make known that they are willing to fight if Britain questions these principles, as they "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

1. Who was John Peter Zenger?

John Peter Zenger immigrated to America from Germany with his family when he was thirteen years old. His father died on the trip over. He owned a printing shop in New York, which he had opened in 1726 and became very successful. However in 1733, until he was caught in the middle of a political dispute between Governor William Cosby and a wealthy group of men who aimed to fight politically against the Governor. Zenger worked with these men to publish negative articles in the New York Weekly Journal who he was now the editor of. The articles criticized  Cosby's corruption of the government and soon Cosby grew angry with Zenger and his newspaper. This resulted in Zenger being arrested and jailed for ten months.

2. What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.

The controversey over his charges were that although they were negatory, all of the information was true. The prosecution argued that just because the stories were published should convict Zenger, not mentioning the truth behind the articles. Andrew Hamilton, the lawyer who defended Zenger argued that although they articles were published, they could not be considered libel because they were true. Zenger was found not guilty.

3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?

This case greatly promoted freedom of the press and significantly altered the outcomes of future libel suits because now if the information was found to be true then it could be published. Judges would look at these cases in a new way as a result from the Zenger case, most favoring the defense.

4. What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain.

The most significant lasting impact of his trial was that it led for improvements and progress in freedom of the press. It also allowed writers and publishers to put anything into a newspaper as long as it was true, without the worry of being sued by people whom the writing critcized. The trial paved the way for future advancements in freedom of speech, revolutionizing the cause in America.

LAD #1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The concepts included in the Mayflower Compact revolve around first attempts to establish order, organization, and a sense of unity among the colonists. It acts as guidelines in which to follow in order to ensure security and success as these people arrive establish the first colony in northern Virginia.

2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?

Throughout the Mayflower Compact, King James is continually referred to, implying the close connection that the colonists felt to their former home and country. Clearly, the people feel that they must uphold "the Honour of [their] King and Country." The "Old" world has a strong attachment to the "New World" as in the Mayflower Compact King James and their country are mentioned numerous times and one of the colonists main goals is to strive to honor their home by establishing a colony based off of the strong sense of structure and order that was found in Europe. In addition to honor, furthuring the Christian faith and the glory of God was also prominent in the Mayflower Compact which demonstrates the colonists desire to carry over beliefs to the New World.

3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?

A major way in that the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact is in that the Fundamental Orders are significantly more specific and planned out. The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document (which is another difference) and therefore contains much less detail. Another important difference between the two is that the Mayflower Compact doesn't address the subject of voting, however the Fundamental Orders allowed voting to take place. In addition, the Fundamental Orders contain a list of eleven laws in which to be followed as well as an introduction and detailed description of each law.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?

They took this approach beacause they knew that the key to order was to have a stable and controlled government that layed out the laws for people to see and understand in the use of a written form. To do this they needed unification and strength which is what the Fundamental Orders did.These Fundamental Orders provided a unifiying document that brought together the people and would be a lasting form of government.

 5) In what significant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few?

To protect against the uprising by one individual or a chosen few, the Fundamental Orders were established on a Democratic foundation as colonists could vote by the use of paper ballots. The officals were chosen by elections as well, which prevented one person from taking over power. Lastly, the government was limited to some degree which would make the oppurtunity for one or a chosen few to take power very difficult and highly unlikely.

HELLO!