Colonial Women, and their Colonial Activities

Hello peoples! If you wish to get the most out of this blog post, you may want to skim my sources a bit. Most of them say things you already know, because it was the usual as far as women go: be modest, take care of the home, be a good wife (or a Goodwife). Republican motherhood is new, and might throw you for a loop, but don't worry! It's a simple concept which I will explain.

Women were often burdened down with clothing, as we shall soon see. I would ask for no comments about the first picture, but seeing as we are all hooligans, I’m not going to demand it.

This is a pretty awesome website indeed. Look through the pictures in this link, they're great. Roll over the articles of clothing to hear about them.

http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/activities/dressup/1770_woman.html

My oh my! People didn’t make those clothes did they? What about WalMart?

Everybody helped make clothing, even boys and men.

http://www.ssdsbergen.org/Colonial/clothing.htm

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thewilkesteam.com/files/photos/colonial6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thewilkesteam.com/2007/10/&usg=__1UugIGOaQhpjWY3sZtGXA_gvkio=&h=500&w=375&sz=40&hl=en&start=18&sig2=KUoQCVPnywpioWo-vh2y7g&zoom=1&tbnid=6uR-h_jKc84eZM:&tbnh=152&tbnw=124&ei=zCGjTLH0IIL-8AaA8uXGCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcolonial%2Bwomen%2Bsewing%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D653%26tbs%3Disch:10,400&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=133&vpy=228&dur=141&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=111&ty=94&oei=pSGjTMWbEcL-8AbrwKTOCQ&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:18&biw=1024&bih=653

What a sweet little colonial couple we have here! Look at that beautiful young lady! I bet she'll make a good wife. Hmm? a Goodwife, you say? Why, of course! In fact, that’s what we’ll call her, because that is the most important thing about her.

http://www.helium.com/items/361484-Colonial-Early-American

http://www.shireattire.com/Wedding.html

As usual, women had a great deal of “homework” to do.

http://www.helium.com/items/361484-Colonial-Early-American

http://www.history.org/experience/womens03.cfm

A “republican mother”? Why, I have never heard of such! Educating women to educate their children as little models of virtue, eh? Sounds like a good way to increase women’s rights without anybody really realizing it.

Alright, here we go. Republican motherhood arose as an ideal after the new nation was formed. Women were given education, at least to some degree, because they were the ones who would be educating the next generation of "virtuous citizens" in the new American Republic. Women had to be educated so that they could educate their sons to be good voters.

http://www.ushistory.org/us/12d.asp

http://www.homeschoolportal.com/ecards/homeschool.shtml

A quilting bee! What a blast! We’ll all have lots of fun at this incredibly important colonial social gathering.

People really came together for this, men and women alike. They were often followed by square dances and other activities of general merriment, so people had fun while they got things done. And yes, that is a fantastic rhyme.

http://virtual.yosemite.cc.ca.us/mkehoe/weekly%20assignments%20history_116.htm

http://www.iroquoisdemocracy.pdx.edu/html/colonialwoman.htm

Hominy yummm…

This is what was for dinner for most of the people in the colonies. Richer folk in the more English areas had English food to eat, and they had either cooks or slaves to make it for them. The majority of people lived day to day and ate things like this, cooked together with salted pork and such by the lady of the home.

http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com/blind_pig_the_acorn/2009/11/hominy.html

http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradefood.cfm

America: The Picture(s)

To describe America, it's necessary to capture the American spirit. I chose two pictures that, I believe, do this. The first is on top. America is vast. It's huge, seemingly unconquerable. The picture above is deep, and looking out on it, there really is a sense of "purple mountain's majesty." The landscape could go on forever, and man could have never known what lies behind it. (Kindly ignore what I interpret to be a city behind the scenic trees. Where in America is there not a city marring the perfect landscape? We've gone too far with what picture 2 exemplifies, but I'm getting ahead of myself.)

The second picture, below, is an illustration of the American Ideal. The landscape looks infinite, but we, the American people, can conquer it for ourselves. America is all about carving out a good life for yourself and your children, working hard and overcoming difficulty. It's easy to forget that in air conditioned buildings, with microwave popcorn and instantaneous information and communication. America is about (or I wish it was about?) taking what you need, and leaving what you've found for the next generation, or group of pioneers of whatever variety, to take, carving out their lives with the sweat of their hands just as you did.

(props to Maria for the multiple pictures idea. ;))