Developing Attitudes towards gender in Jacksonian America
...ad. "In both rural and urban settings, working families were organized along strictly patriarchal lines. The man had unquestioned authority to direct the lives and work of family memebers and apprentices and to decied on occupations ofr his sons and marriages for his daughters" (Faragher, 344). While the man was giving the authority, the woman was left doing chores and obeying the husband. Faragher continues with "His wife had many crucial responsibilities--feeding, clothing, child rearing, taking care of apprentices, and ll the other domestic affairs of the household--but in all these duties she was subject to the direction of her husband" (Faragher, 345). Not only the men hold the power in the household but legally also. The men held all the power legally leaving the women and children with no property or legal rights. But as the time continued to go by the attitudes toward gender began to change. After going years without any say, choice, or rights the women decided it was time for a change. Slowly but surely the woman began to be more active and started to realize that they are equal to men and should be treated like it. Starting with social reform movements the women slowly began to gain some equalality as men. The Grimke Sisters were prime example of women who began to speak up and started to create a path for women all over. With the assertiveness of the Sarah Grimske and her sister women began to gain more confidence which led to one of the biggest turn in the attitude of gender, known as The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, the first women's rights convention in American history. Of course the men were not to happy about this and made reasons for their p...