Chapter 17 Connection Task

Discussion Questions

1) The British author Ellis wrote a book in 1839. It addressed her viewpoint of the middle class women in that era. She defined them as a middle class of women who were educated, experienced no poverty and were members of the part of society that was connected by trade and manufacturing. Because of their social status she had concerns that they were not fulfilling their duties within the home as good quality homemakers.

2) Sarah Stickney Ellis wrote a book in 1839 called Characteristics of the Women of England. The book contained tips for successful conduct for middle class women. She wrote this because it was her opinion about how this class of woman should behave. She encouraged them to make a home full of order, tranquility and proper behavior. That her family and their happiness should be number one in her activities and concerns in life. She stated that the women of this class should be the pillars of the family life, being self sacrificing and providing service to her family members. The women need to focus on how to promote happiness of all members without having to have any activity within the home requested by any member. She should be able to think about their needs ahead of time and address the need even before the family member became aware of the need. If they were not as she recommended than she stated that they could be considered cold, cheerless partners They should be able to be successful with her suggestions because they did not have to battle poverty and it should be their duty to their family.

3) The middle class domestic duties were focused on the women getting married and on the home and family, being kind, taking care of the family when they are sick, being a counselor, being passive and obedient to their husband, sew, and butcher animals. This was a period in history when women’s roles were expected to be caretakers of their husbands. Women were supposed to run the house and take care of their family. Women didn’t have the right to vote. The men were more important than the women and women were known as “the weaker sex”. Their status was considered to be lower than the men. The woman’s place as in the home caring for home duties and family members.

In England in the 1770’s women were not considered to be important and they were considered to be the weaker of the two sexes. They had no rights and their only duties were to get married and start a family. Before the Industrial Revolution women were in charge of the agriculture. They would make butter, cheese, and milk cows. But once England started converting into more industry women moved with their husbands to the cities and got jobs in textile making factories.

In America during this same approximate time frame the American Revolution was going on. The men would go off to war and the women would take over the men’s jobs as carpenters, blacksmiths, and ship builders as well as nurses, cooks, laundresses and spies. When the men returned home the women returned to their normal lives of home makers. The women were not allowed to fight because it was considered a man’s job, but sometimes they would dress up in men’s clothing so that they could help out with the war effort. The women were not allowed to petition, they couldn’t be heirs to property or money, they couldn’t vote, they couldn’t go to college and their schooling ended after grammar school. They were expected to get married and if the marriage was unsuccessful they were not allowed to divorce or leave. If they did divorce or run away they would loss custody of their children. The women were expected to stay home all day to cook and clean and they would make homemade soap, candles, and food. The women were allowed to attend adventure schools that would teach them about music, dance, painting, needlework, and drawing.

As England moved into 1839 Sarah Ellis wrote a book Characteristics of the Women of England. She felt motivated to write to the middle class women of that era to stick to the traditional woman role of maintaining the home, happiness of her family, and to accomplish home chores personally.

In America in 1839 when Ellis was writing her book in England it was 26 years before the outbreak of the Civil War in America. The middle class women in America, especially in the south, were accustom to black servants doing the majority of the house hold chores including the direct care of the family and home. The women were removed from the care of the family and enjoyed leisure, and entertaining. During this time frame in England the country was also experiencing extensive servitude in the upper classes. Like America the women were enjoying leisure, entertaining and leaving the care of the family to the servant population. With such a correlation with what is happening in England and across the water to America it appears that Ellis was concerned about the middle class women’s trend of leaving the care in the home to members of the lower class servants.