Republican Motherhood Blog

Republican Motherhood

What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?
   With the men out at war and not home helping to raise their families, it was up to the women to raise the children of the time in a respectable and patriotic manner. It was also the women that would carry out the war and the homefront. Gathering supplied and ringing up support for the soldiers. So the nation was depeneding on housewifes to bring up the next generation in support of the United States and lay that foundation of nationalism for generations to come.

What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?
   As shown in Document B, men started to think that maybe women should have and education, at least a basic knowledge of such necessities as English and geography. They are supposed to be the moral guide of the family it would only make sense for them to have an education to better make those decisions. Alos as refrenced in Document C women were beginning ot realiz at beacause of republican Motherhood that they did not need to serve their husbands, and such groups as teh daughters of Colombus were starting to organize to protest for "the honour of their sex".

What is the significance of the ideology of the Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process fo women's socialization?
   Again as shown in Document C women were already beginning to come together and form groups like the daughters of Colombus to "[assert] the importance and the honour of their sex". Also just by the how the author of Document C is expressing her thoughts one can see that shwe believes that women are equal to men. She makes acknowledgements to the Marie's and Elizabeths saying that they have "broken the chains of slavery" and that men are ignorant to the power of women. Because women played a significant role in the Revolution they believed that they were not equal to men and that now that the government was being redone they hoped women could have an equal role and avoid the male dominated government that had existed in England. While this did not happen it was a step in the right direction toward equal rights and eventually the 19th Amendment. 


1) The setting appears to be her house, possibly the parlor where a nice couch would have been. Peale most likely did this to show the importance of the home in the upbringing of a child and that was probably the biggest influence in their lives, the mother and the home.

2) Mary Gibson Tilghman is at the center of the portrait, possibly to show here center spot in family. She is the most important person in bringing up the children and so is the most important part of the family to most of the family. Tilghman looks dignified in this picture. She is sitting up and appears to be calm and collected. She is not aristocratic however first because of how she is holding the children. The children are not sitting at her feet or away from her. They are in her arms close to her showing that she is involved in their lives and they are a significant part of hers.

3) The sons show a definite relationship between them and their mother. The son in her arms is reaching for her arms showing that he trusts her completely and that he most likely spends quite a bit of time in her arms and that she is key in his upbringing. The other son too sits close to his mother showing the trust between the two.

4) Tilghman's arm is across her son, holding him on her lap. This again shows the connection between the two and distinguishes it from aristocratic paintings where the children would have been on the floor. This painting is a key representation of Republican Motherhood and the trust between the two.