The Development of
Domestic Ideology
Middle-Class Women
and the Market Revolution
The Advent of Jacksonian
Democracy
 Jackson Frontier Hero
 Expansion of
Democracy
 Fearful of Combining
Economic, Political
Power
Big Issue:
Bank of the United States
 Whigs: Provides
Loans, Stability to
Help Nation Grow
 Democrats: Monster
Bank that
Concentrates Too
Much Power
The Development of
Domestic Ideology
Middle-Class Women
and the Market Revolution
Can People Who Have No Vote and No
Property Influence Politics?
A. Yes.
B. No.
BEFORE Domestic Ideology:
Household Family Economy
Characteristics
of Household Family Economy
 No division between home and work
 Patriarchal (men controlled household,
including children)
 Women considered inferior to men in all
respects
Around 1750, Attitudes Slowly
Began to Change
 Influence of
Enlightenment
(Equality)
Around 1750, Attitudes Slowly
Began to Change
 Influence of
Enlightenment
(Equality)
 Role of Women in
Revolutionary War
Around 1750, Attitudes Slowly
Began to Change
 Influence of
Enlightenment
(Equality)
 Role of Women in
Revolutionary War
 Falling Birthrates in
Settled Areas
Domestic Ideology and
Character of Men, Women
MEN




Competitive, Ambitious
Analytical
Corruptible
Sphere: Economy and
Politics (Public World)
WOMEN
 Cooperative, SelfSacrificing
 Sentimental
 Pious, Disinterested
 Sphere: The Home
(Private World)
Depicting Differences between
Men and Women
Sentimentality & Domestic Ideology
Market Revolution Solidified
Domestic Ideology
 Division of labor
changed; men
worked outside of
home
 Domestic ideology
made economic
change less
frightening!
Republicanism, Virtue,
and Domestic Ideology
Domestic Ideology Helped
Calm Fears about “Virtue”
 Women could act as a
moral counterweight to
men.
 Women could educate
children about proper
republican virtues.
Domestic Ideology Limited
Political and Economic
Opportunities for Women
 Women could NOT
participate in politics
(no right to vote).
 Married women could
not hold jobs.
Which of the Following is True
about Domestic Ideology?
 A. Glorified Women’s Work in the Home
 B. Devalued Women’s Work in the Home
 C. Both A and B (I haven’t done the
reading and I’m hoping this is a trick
question).
Under Separate Spheres, Women
Could not Work
 A. Yes-- the whole idea is that women are
excluded from public life.
 B. No—this is to easy and must be
another trick question.
Some Advantages for Women
in Domestic Ideology
 Control of the
Household
Some Advantages for Women
in Domestic Ideology
 Control of the
Household
 Expanded Educational
Opportunities
Some Advantages for Women
in Domestic Ideology
 Control of the
Household
 Expanded Educational
Opportunities
 Interaction with Other
Women: “Bonds of
Womanhood”
Did Domestic Ideology Describe
Reality for Most Women?
A. Yes, of course—it was the dominant
middle-class way of thinking.
B. No—Most women were not middle class.
Did Domestic Ideology
Describe Reality
for Most Women?
Women Excluded from
Domestic Ideology
West:
Most
Rural
Women
Northeast:
Farm Families,
Poor Women, and
Immigrants
South:
Most White
Women and
All Slave Women
Yet Domestic Ideology Still
Very Important!
 White Middle Class Grew Rapidly; Powerful
in Politics, Economy
 Domestic Ideology Dominated Culture and
Literature
 “Outsiders” Sometimes Sought
Respectability through Domestic Ideology