By MacKethan, Lucinda H. (NHC Fellow, 1984–85)

Nineteenth-century, middle-class American women saw their behavior regulated by a social system known today as the cult of domesticity, which was designed to limit their sphere of influence to home and family. Yet within this space, they developed networks and modes of expression that allowed them to speak out on the major moral questions facing the nation.

Subjects

Gender and Sexuality / History / Education Studies / American History / Women / Domesticity / Power / Gender Roles /