Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Claire Arcenas
Faculty Mentor’s Department
History
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Throughout the early to mid-nineteenth century, the Cult of Domesticity thrived in both southern and northern middle-class homes in the United States. Women of all races were expected to focus on the building and strengthening of the home and family, and African American women were no exception. In this paper I seek to explain the environment African American women were living under in the Cult of Domesticity and how African American men shaped and perpetuated the ideal of True Womanhood in their communities. I will use a collection of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will focus on journal entries, personal narratives, and autobiographies of African Americans living and traveling throughout the north during this time period. This paper will rely heavily on African American newspapers in the North. These newspapers, written primarily by Black men, will be used to show the pressure on Black women to maintain and uphold the Cult of Domesticity not only within their homes, but also within their communities. Following the era of Republican Motherhood, the Black community hoped to integrate into white social norms, as shown in articles written by women. Using secondary sources, I will discuss specific African American women throughout the period who dealt with the consequences of the Cult of Domesticity. I will also discuss Black men’s desire to uphold this cultural norm while generally not being able to financially support their families on a single income. African American women in the North were unable to conform to the Cult of Domesticity due to the lack of higher wages for Black men during the period, forcing most Black middle-class homes to need not one, but two, incomes.
Category
Humanities
The Cult of Domesticity and its Effects on African American Women in the Northern United States from 1820-1860
UC 330
Throughout the early to mid-nineteenth century, the Cult of Domesticity thrived in both southern and northern middle-class homes in the United States. Women of all races were expected to focus on the building and strengthening of the home and family, and African American women were no exception. In this paper I seek to explain the environment African American women were living under in the Cult of Domesticity and how African American men shaped and perpetuated the ideal of True Womanhood in their communities. I will use a collection of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources will focus on journal entries, personal narratives, and autobiographies of African Americans living and traveling throughout the north during this time period. This paper will rely heavily on African American newspapers in the North. These newspapers, written primarily by Black men, will be used to show the pressure on Black women to maintain and uphold the Cult of Domesticity not only within their homes, but also within their communities. Following the era of Republican Motherhood, the Black community hoped to integrate into white social norms, as shown in articles written by women. Using secondary sources, I will discuss specific African American women throughout the period who dealt with the consequences of the Cult of Domesticity. I will also discuss Black men’s desire to uphold this cultural norm while generally not being able to financially support their families on a single income. African American women in the North were unable to conform to the Cult of Domesticity due to the lack of higher wages for Black men during the period, forcing most Black middle-class homes to need not one, but two, incomes.