{"id":28,"date":"2019-12-11T23:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T23:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asandersgarcia.humspace.ucla.edu\/courses\/earlyamhistory\/?p=28"},"modified":"2019-12-13T22:54:08","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T22:54:08","slug":"power-and-authority-with-text-analysis-early-american-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asandersgarcia.humspace.ucla.edu\/courses\/earlyamhistory\/2019\/12\/11\/power-and-authority-with-text-analysis-early-american-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Women and Gender in the Early American Settler Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Research Questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. What ideologies were at work in early America?<\/strong><\/li>
  2. Which ideologies of womanhood seem to be at play as women supported their soldier-settler husbands through correspondence, in person, and as co-emigrants to the western borderlands? <\/strong><\/li>
  3. Using Text Analysis, what do the words that the women use say about their role in society?<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Widowed and left with nothing in Ireland, Mary Keating desperately begs her cousin, Anthony Wayne, to help her cross the Atlantic. She sends a series of letters that go unanswered. Unbeknownst to her, her cousin is gravely ill. Wayne dies, ultimately unable to assist his cousin. Such is the precarious nature of woman\u2019s stability in early America; women were forced to rely on patriarchal figures in order for them to create a new version of American identity. This identity defined womanhood as one that consisted of loyalty to their husbands even when many women were defiant to the British cause. In fact, women like Keating, who was stuck in Ireland, powerfully associated herself with American identity. This idea is evident by her letters where she aligns herself with her cousin\u2019s participation in the American Revolution, a land she yearns to walk in once again. Keating, however, was not the only woman who struggled due to her passive yet defiant identity as an American woman. On the other hand, Lucy Knox breaks social norms while still abiding by women\u2019s submissive societal roles as reflected by her letters to her husband, Henry Knox. According to Phillip Hamilton, the Knoxs\u2019 shared friendship allowed for Lucy to attempt to embody the role of the \u201cheroine.\u201d Despite Lucy\u2019s agency, she much like Mary, relied on male support for survival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our project aims to answer the research question \u201cWhat do letters from Early America reveal about gendered role in the settlement communities and what does this reveal about the historical importance of these men and women from the American Midwest? Using selected, female-oriented recovered letters from 1777 to 1807 from the Clements Library at the University of Michigan, we transcribed and used Voyant Tools to perform text analysis on the given corpus. Originating in the early American colonies and Ireland, these letters give an insight into the ideologies of womanhood in America in the historical moment. We decided to study early American women due to their typical neglect in history. By examining the early period of America, we found terms such as \u201ccousin,\u201d \u201cnative,\u201d \u201clove,\u201d and \u201cheroine\u201d in order to gain assistance from men. In combination with secondary sources, we found that women\u2019s identities relied on their ability to support their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To understand the burgeoning political ideology in the New Republic, which led to a new capitulation of womanhood and femininity in early America, we closely examined the letters of Keating and Knox through text-mining techniques in combination with secondary sources to draw upon the ideologies these women had to adopt. As Keating\u2019s letters show, women without financial stability from men were left impoverished and abject. On the other hand, Knox\u2019s letters exemplify a woman who is provided for by a supportive husband. We argue that in the Early Republic, women such as Mary Keating and Lucy Knox were expected to adhere to dutiful ideas and rely on patriarchal figures, putting their autonomy at stake. Nonetheless, Lucy and other women inadvertently found independence by taking part in political discourse, activism, and assuming men\u2019s household responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We will divide our findings into four sections: In the first section, we review our secondary literature sources and define its relevance to our argument. The second section will give an explanation of the analytical techniques used for our research, and the reason for the methodologies. The third section will examine the idea of cousinship to understand the way women used their family kinship to gain for support. Additionally, we will explore the significance behind the idea of nativity. The conclusion will outline the main points from our research and suggest further inquiries, which will build on our discoveries of early American ideologies of womanhood.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Literature Review<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Liberty\u2019s Daughters: The Revolution Experience of American Women<\/em> by Mary Beth Norton and Revolutionary Mothers<\/em> by Carol Berkin.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Both Norton and Berkin define women\u2019s ideology as being dependent on pleasing male figures, however, Norton claims the 18th century as a pivotal time for women\u2019s independence, Berkin believes that in this time period, women did not seek true independence, but were seeking to fulfill their gendered duties by supporting their husbands. Norton argues that although the ideals of womanhood relied on women’s household duties and family obligations, the 18th century became a “golden age” for women as they achieved new levels of independence by taking part in activism, political discussions, and assuming additional responsibilities while their husbands fought. However, Berkin maintains that women\u2019s participation during the war did not permanently secure their independence as they were seen as the inferior sex for centuries to come; instead, they were celebrated for being virtuous, self-sacrificing, unassuming and most importantly, devoted to their husbands, children, and parents. Both authors use primary sources from letters, diaries, and recollections passed down through generations to illuminate diverse duties that European women had that relied on their social status. In doing so, they identify the way women adapted to the American society where they were seen as the weaker gender. Berkin compares women more in-depth by effectively pointing out the differences and similarities in which loyalists and the revolutionaries were treated. Even though Norton does not write about the experiences of Native American women, Berkin successfully manages to describe the Native Americans through the observation of European women, which limits the bias in our perspective as we are unable to fully explore the sense of identity experienced by women of different ethnicities. Both authors successfully write a historical narrative about European women who helped see American independence through. Norton and Berkin\u2019s books help gain insight into our research by linking womanhood to women\u2019s unwavering loyalty to their patriarchal figures, which caused them to withstand trauma from being displaced identity, finances instability, and rape. The strength women showed during the early republic inevitably challenged the early American understanding of womanhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Creation of Patriarchy <\/em>by Gerda Lerner and Gender and the Politics of History<\/em> by Joan Wallach Scott<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These books provided a theoretical framework for our project. While the works did not cover early American history, they critiqued women\u2019s history and gender studies as a whole. Gerda Lerner\u2019s The Creation of Patriarchy seeks to wrestle with the origins of women\u2019s subordination through an examination of history. Lerner argues that feminist theory has been mostly ahistorical and calls for female history in order to counter the codification of women\u2019s subjugation throughout time. Lerner states that history is only a partial record given that the role of the scribe was played only by men for thousands of years, allowing women to go unrecorded while men even of lower classes have become part of the historical record \u2013 women\u2019s subjugation is older than history. As much of our research stems from women\u2019s writing in the early American period, our project seeks to establish a women\u2019s history through analysis. Joan Scott\u2019s Gender and the Politics of History discusses the linguistic aspect of gender studies. She argues that grammar is unstable against the forces of human imagination; its usages stem from history and the deliberate misuse of language has allowed for its innovation. She goes on to argue that a history that includes women necessitates a new history that invokes class, race, and gender as well. We incorporate this for its poststructural qualities, allowing us to examine language and the intersectionality that is required in the new construction of history, arguing furthermore that gender is part of language, ideology, culture, psychology, and ultimately power. The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox<\/em> by Phillip Hamilton The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox<\/em> by Phillip Hamilton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This book offered a deeper perspective into the relationship of Lucy and Henry Knox. While largely overlooked by scholarly attention, the Knoxes\u2019 letters serve as one of the only \u201cnear-complete sets of correspondence\u201d that take place during the American Revolution beyond those of John and Abigail Adams (Hamilton 1). Hamilton argues that the Knoxes\u2019 letters allow readers insight into the lives of two young people during the Revolution; this insight provides greater context for social transformation, especially for revolutionary-era spouses in this historical moment. Moreover, the Knoxes\u2019 letters add a private dimension to history, expressing their hopes, fears, and desires for the American Revolution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hamilton states that Henry and Lucy Knox had an established romantic relationship and friendship prior to their marriage despite it being at Lucy\u2019s father\u2019s dismay, which strengthened their union.The author is successful at supporting his argument based on our reading of the Introduction and Chapter 1 by conveying the romance of Henry and Lucy Knox amidst a political disruption between the Whigs and the Loyalists in early America. This source informs our research by describing the political turmoil that divided families, based on the political parties individuals supported or showed sympathy toward. Moreover, Hamilton illustrates the courtship between Henry and Lucy Knox, which gives us an insight into Lucy\u2019s ability to have a strong friendship with her husband, giving her a sense of agency in her marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sources and Rationale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n