Assignment instruction discussion 3:

The image of true womanhood (also referred to as the “cult of domesticity”, or “separate spheres”) was a powerful one in antebellum America, but it often did not match up with women’s experiences, particularly if they were not born into the white middle class. Defining the interplay of myth and reality in women’s lives is a critical part of the history of this period. For this activity, you will explore the lives of women during the antebellum period and compare it to the ideology of true womanhood prevalent at the time. Please provide a reply from this classmate’s response to the below question.

Question:

What was the ideology of true womanhood and what economic changes in the early 19th century underpinned the development of this ideology