A Critical Book Review: Women of the Rebublic

spoonfedsoprano · A Critical Book Review: Women of the Rebublic

In Linda K. Kerber’s Women of the Republic: Intellect & Ideology in Revolutionary America she argues the political struggles and the place of women during the American Revolution. In each of Kerber’s chapters she makes a case for each of the core themes that are most important and elaborates on them thoroughly. Some of the topics in the chapters are women’s place on the battlefield, politics, divorce, education, readings, and the viewpoint of “republican motherhood”. Through each of the chapter she describes the position of the women, their viewpoints, aspirations, and their tragic reality. Kerber’s thesis is proven that women were not apolitical; that they sought a political voice, education, knowledge, and opportunity; by this these cultural stereotypes are proven false.
In the introduction she thoroughly describes the role of the women during the Revolution because there have been significant changes since then. Through this introduction the domesticated role of 18th Century women is made clear for 21st Century minds. In Kerber’s first chapter the tone is set with the language and literature of the 18th Century as authors would use words such as “he”, “mankind”, and “man” as both literal and general terms. Kerber suggests women were exclusively excluded. Also Kerber identifies the theory by Hobbs of the parent child metaphor and how women were also excluded. The next theme covers women’s role in the family economy and suggests that household power was political and patriotic. Women were also talked about in their service with the Continental Army in taking care of the troops. The letters between Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren are described by them openly sharing very political thoughts with each other. Also women exercised the power of petitioning because this was one of the few political actions they could pursue at the time. Kerber also discusses the laws of “Baron and Feme” instated by the British Empire with the tradition that through marriage women themselves and everything they owned became the husband’s property. The law also implied that the couple shared a “will” and political viewpoints only in the husband’s name. Through this Kerber identifies this cultural stereotype. Kerber also describes 18th Century divorce laws and rights that women fought for which became a political issue. Education and reading were another important political topic to 18th Century women. Women wished to be educated as men did and fought for the right of education. Women during the American Revolution were only allowed to study music, fashion, sewing and cooking. But this changed when women began studying reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic, and geography but not the classics or languages that men studied. Women were also told to only read romance novels but as female promiscuous activity increased women were advised to read history but not to study it closely. In the last chapter the book ties everything together with the concept of “Republic Motherhood” being the concept of living politically through their sons and by teaching them political concepts as well as the women themselves being educated. Through Kerber’s book it is seen that women fought their way into being educated, well read, and the ability to express themselves politically at the very least.
The following conveys Kerber’s evidence on the viewpoint that women were not only political but sought it thoroughly. Women were thinking politically through their anonymous diaries and letters, petitions, through education, and eventually some of their efforts started to change women’s political position during the American Revolution.
In the first piece of evidence Kerber shows women anonymously were writing and reading letters to each other, kept diaries, legislated petitions, were in the courts, and organized themselves for their political cause.
Women not only expressed themselves through diaries and letters about issues in society, they also were political through their individual ideas that differed from their husbands which imply their own independent mind. Catherine Reed sets the tone to state women were truly political individuals.
She insisted that she did not “always think it necessary” to think as her husband did.
This information from Catherine Reed makes a statement about women segregating their political thoughts from husbands. By this it women were making it known that they were individuals with their own minds and not always of their husband’s viewpoints.
Also Kerber articulates specific conversations between Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren where the two women openly shared through letters about their political opinions. The information between them showed their political views and strong minds.
In their letters to each other, Mercy Warren Otis and Abigail Adams were obviously comfortable with their shared political sensibility. They discussed politics without apology.
This quote between Mercy Warren Otis and Abigail Adams shows that some strong women were becoming more open in their discussion and their viewpoints when it came to politics and related subject matters. It is not known how many women behaved as them but can be said that this was a “revolution” itself for females thought in this era.
John Adams also indulged Abigail in her political endeavors as much as he was allowed. John Adams wanted his wife Abigail to engage in politics and share that political information with him.
“What a politician you have made me”, she wrote on July 5, 1780. She was easily able to conceive of the possibility of voting and came close enough to the political process to assist at the polls. “If I cannot be a voter upon this occasion, I will be a writer of votes. I can do something in that way.
This quote between Abigail and John Adams showed women’s devotion to not only prove they were political by assisting at the voting poles but engaged themselves proactively as much as they could because they could not physically vote.
Women began gaining the power of legislation through the petition. This was another important advancement that women sought themselves. In this excerpt from Kerber it directly discusses the importance of women having the power to act politically in this manner.
In a culture that refused women the technical machinery of political expression, there remained available at most archaic mode of political behavior…women were mostly to express their relationship to political enterprise through a petition.
This piece of evidence is indeed a powerful one because these women found a method where they could take real political actions outside of their homes and show their political voice.
Through Kerber’s book she states that political efforts of women that began to change society in America. Most men probably would not agree with John Quincy Adams but he argued the fact that women were political; their view point’s should be respected, and even entertained the possibility of voting for women.
He too insisted that women might be patriots and that their political feelings were to be respected. He sneered at those who thought it “’discreditable’ for women to take any interests or any part in political affairs.” He insisted that women had “political rights”, and he let himself come close to asserting that women might well claim the right to vote.”
A John Quincy Adams word was both powerful and radical for the time period but also suggests the changes in people’s minds towards women and those women were beginning to make changes themselves.
Another factor was the increased need for education in the 18th Century. Because the British Empire became so widespread the written word became necessary for communication. Education for all was beginning to be valued among many other points that would benefit women. Women acted on pursuing their education which would not only help them socially and in the household, but they could now engage in being political thinkers. Women saw endless benefits from this new change.
Increased dependence on writing rather than on oral communication would ultimately help bridge the gap between male and female experience, since the spoken word—depending as it does on the physical presence of the speaker—conveys the speaker’s gender in a way that the written word cannot.
This again is crucial to the development of education and reading to the cause of women. Women could articulate themselves political without a gender bias. Women would use education as a political avenue for their development as individuals and political beings.
Lastly, women as “Republican Mothers” could finally live and talk politically in a domesticated setting as well as be educated. During the American Revolution women couldn’t vote, learn the classics as men did, or have full freedom as independent beings, but they were starting to send a message to society that women were in fact very political. Kerber states women’s compromise to live politically through their sons and husbands which opened tremendous changes for them.
The notion that a mother can perform a political function represents the recognition that a citizen’s political socialization takes place at a early age, that the family is a basic part of the system of political communication, and that pattern of family authority influenced the general political culture.
This would be the compromise that women would receive during the era of the American Revolution. Indeed women could not vote but they were gaining more than they previously had.
All these great changes are that these women were strong politically and sought change. Kerber proves this through the quotes of the women of the 18th Century and of her own analysis.
Kerber’s Women of the Republic: Intellect & Ideology in Revolutionary America has a very powerful argument for women’s political endeavors during the American Revolution. Kerber makes the case that women could be political, sought it, and took action to pursue it. Kerber shows the evidence that women in the American Revolution were political through letters, conversations between strong members of the society, petitioning, and education. Kerber was very clear through examples that these facts were true of women and that these women wanted to be political. There is no question after reading this book that the men around these women perceived them as apolical in a biased way. It becomes clear through all the sources that the women were frustrated by this and wanted a non-domesticated voice in the real world.
Kerber makes her arguments clear and distinct through each key point or topics in divided chapters. The subjects of these chapters are broad at first but blossom into the real political points these women had. Kerber’s use of these chapters makes her thesis flow while making it clear and apparent what her thesis is. The genius of the book is there is little ambiguity through the chapters. The clarity of each chapter is set up well with a title, a subtitle, and quote to lead the reader in. These topics are laid out for the reader so they can follow the message Kerber is trying to send clearly. Each chapter provides different lenses that make the role of women during the American Revolution more clear by the time the reader finishes the book. The greatest attribute of Kerber’s book is her evidence is up front and clear while building key ideas.
Among the convincing arguments that Kerber conveys there are some criticism of this work to be considered. In the American Revolution women were actively involved in the mob tradition of the “people out of doors”. The mob tradition is rarely mentioned if at all in Kerber’s description. To get the full picture of women during the American Revolution the mob tradition needs to be conveyed. There needs to be a description of classes in these mobs as well as viewpoints of the women involved, and their ideologies. The mob is vacant from this book and it would be a great asset to Kerber’s thesis if she had mentioned it.
Another criticism upon this text would be where most women stood politically during the American Revolution. It may be true that there is not enough information because women were supposed to lead pure domestic lives. Bearing all of this in mind it would be insightful if it was known what amount of women sought voting rights and legislative powers. It also would be informative to know what amounts of women were neutral and happy to lead pure domesticated lives without politics. This distinction of female thought, politics, and domestication would make Kerber’s argument or setting of the American Revolution for women more clear to a 21st Century audience.
Along with the previous criticism it would be important to hear more about strong characters like Abigail Adams and Mercy Otis Warren and what actions they took politically in this time period. It is also important to question how many other women were proactive like them. Again there may be documentation that does not exist because of anonymousness, illiteracy, and class but hearing about these female heroines would make Kerber’s story stronger.
It would also be interesting to know what classes of women were writing in the 18th Century or what kind of documentation has lasted by women from the American Revolution era. Kerber could elaborate on which women were writing or had a political voice. It would be informative to hear Kerber state what kinds of documentation that she came across.
Lastly for critiquing there are a few dead spots in chapters where there were sections of trivial facts. Kerber’s thesis is known and yet sometimes there is some information that it appears wordy and gets off the topic. Although these facts are interesting in an educational perspective they sometimes are sidetracked from the thesis or main points. This does not happen often or for long periods of time but there are small gaps of it occurring through the book.
Despite the criticisms Kerber’s book is convincing. It is clear, to the point, and the points are articulated through each chapter and elaborated on. Kerber uses many primary source documents as evidence and shows there were political motives molding of women during the American Revolution. The argument is clear and well written. The criticisms are made to only enhance her thesis as a more powerful one.
The overall impression the reader should get from the book is this; men set up gender barriers for women, provided a double standard that made it difficult to change, as well as created the assumption that women were apolitical. Through the evidence and primary source documents Kerber argues that women were political, patriotic, sought education, and wanted a free life outside of the domesticated domain. Kerber’s argument is convincing in a clear systematic manner. Kerber perhaps could have added more to her case but her point over all is very strong. From this book the tragic story of oppressed people of the American Revolution is learned. In this case not only women but the Native Americans, the slaves, and the loyalists had a similar tragic fate to try to overcome. It is important for 21st Century people to see the situation of women in the American Revolution, especially 21st Century women. It is important for it to be conveyed that women during the American Revolution assisted women General Washington and the Continental Army, petitioned, fought for divorce rights, were patriotic through the spinning of clothing, and took a strong burden in society. What can be acknowledged from this book is this; learning about women and many other groups of people during the American Revolution makes the big picture more clear for 21st Century readers. This story of women of the American Revolution is an important one looking back and looking forward.

Work Cited

Kerber, Linda K. The Women of the Republic: Intellect & Ideology in Revolutionary America. (The University of North Carolina Press, 1980.) Pages 11, 15, 17, 57, 80, 82, 85, 87, 112,119, 120,159, 189,

eleison

I'm going to move this to our "Review" section. Also, for easier reading I highly recommend skipping a space between paragraphs.