ABSTRACT

The years following the American Revolution brought little change in women's status. One might have thought that the egalitarian republicanism propounded during the revolution would have opened the door to greater autonomy for women. But in fact, that philosophy helped to justify the status quo between the genders—and between the races—because it placed great emphasis on a citizen's capacity to make free and independent judgments. Since both women and slaves were legally and economically subordinate, it was argued, they could not possibly participate as equals in the life of the republic. Nor did the practical value of women's contributions during the revolutionary decade win them new consideration, perhaps in part because so many of their efforts— such as providing food and clothing to the troops, spinning, and boycotting household goods—appeared to lie within the traditional "women's sphere." Writing in 1776, Abigail Adams urged her husband John Adams to "Remember the Ladies" when writing laws for the new republic, but the years hat followed brought few changes along those lines. Instead of gaining new independence, women were encouraged to think freshly about the political importance of carrying out their traditional roles as wives and mothers. They were not simply serving their families, it was explained; they were serving the nation https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203949610/869015b0-77e4-47fa-bc94-91dbdd774f8f/content/fig23_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> by nurturing a new generation of citizens. "Republican motherhood" was thus defined as the way for women to make their patriotic contribution to the nation. This conceptualization brought few changes in the general pattern of women's lives, but it did produce one important reform: a considerable expansion of female education. Not only were public schools increasingly opened to girls as well as boys, but also many private academies were founded to give further training to girls who could afford it. Although colleges remained closed to women, these new initiatives did represent a national commitment to the idea that women in the new nation needed sufficient grounding to raise their children as educated citizens. It also kept alive the possibility that girls raised to be republican mothers might use their education to raise broader questions in the future.