ABSTRACT
Maternalism has sparked controversy from left to right, and the Million Mom March held true to this tradition. While building on a rich history of maternalist activism, the march also triggered age-old conflicts about the definition of good and bad domesticity, proving that at the turn of the new millennium, postmodernity had not changed things. As powerful as the feminist critique was, it was drowned out by pro-gun advocates. But against the Million Moms, pro-gun advocates went beyond the standard anti-gun-control arguments. They adopted the time-honored tactic of attacking the moms themselves, confirming feminists’ fears that mothers who took responsibility for gun control would be blamed for all of society’s ills. Republican motherhood redefined women as more than helpmates to their husbands, and the formulation became the foundation of the argument for women’s education. Just as mothers’ movements have a long tradition, so too does opposition to them, and the opposition has always been as passionate as the mothers’ movements.
