Republican Motherhood

1. Republican Motherhood

2. Background and Context Women in the Expansionist period fought to end slavery, public drunkenness, better prisons and increase women’s right. Women had a voice through their sons… if they could influence them, their voice could be heard, since they couldn’t participate in politics. Having the education in order to properly pass education down to your children was incredibly important to women’s rights advocates of the time.

3. Speaker • Catherine Esther Beecher was born September 6, 1800 • Catherine Beecher was born into a wealthy family but still only received minimal education • She was an educational reformer who was focused on the development of children • Through independent study she became a school teacher and taught women how to be better mothers and teachers

4. Purpose This document was written to express that women need an education to be able to take care of their children. This document DOES NOT argue for women’s suffrage (the right to vote) - Beecher was against Suffrage. Her concern was the education of women to be better wives and mothers.

5. Ethos • “If all females were not only well educated themselves, but were prepared to communicate in an easy manner their stores of knowledge to others; if they not only knew how to regulate their own minds, tempers and habits, but how to effect improvements in those around them, the face of society would speedily be changed.” (Beecher, pg 230) • This example appeals to ethos by the belief that, if women were educated, they would have a better ability to educate their children (sons) who would then be better prepared to go and make changes and improvements to the world. • This appeals to the idea that we want what is best for our children - and in this case in order to get the best education their mothers should have some education as well.

6. Pathos • “have you ever devoted any time and study, in the course of your education, to nay preparation of these duties? [Is] it not the business, the profession of the woman to guard the health and form the physical habits of the young? And is not the cradle of infancy and the chamber of sickness sacred to woman alone? And ought she not to know at least some of the general principles of that perfect and wonderful piece of mechanism committed to her preservation and care?”(Beecher 229) • This quote appeals to pathos by making people consider - do women really have to education needed to take care of the health of their young babies and children? Shouldn’t they have basic knowledge so their children do not get sick? Why wouldn’t you want to help someone take better care of their infants and young?

7. Logos • “Have you ever devoted any time and study, in the course of your education, to any preparation for these duties? Have you been taught any thing of the structure, the nature, and the laws of the body, which you inhabit? Were you ever taught to understand the operation of diet, air, exercise and mode of dress upon the human frame?No; we have acquired wisdom from the observation and experience of others on almost all other subjects, but the philosophy of the direction and control of the human mind has not been an object of thought to study. And thus it appears that, though it is woman’s express business to rear the body and form the mind, there is scarcely anything to which her attention has been less directed …” (Beecher, pg 229) • Beecher appeals to logos by explaining how women can’t care for children if they don’t know how to. The organization of her rhetorical questions and response is very logical - IF women do not have proper education, THEN they cannot adequately take care of their young children.

8. Is it effective or not? These techniques are effective because Catherine Beecher made the audience question what they already know - what is best for children, and who cares for children. Catherine Beecher persuades us with pathos, ethos and logos, into thinking women would be able to take better care of their children if they had an education. Because she does not challenge the role of a women (mother/wife) by discussing suffrage or working conditions she is better able to gain support from a male and female audience.

9. Quiz Questions • How does the following quote appeal to pathos? “But it is not the business, the profession of a woman to guard the health and form the physical habits of the young? And it is not the cradle of infancy and the chamber of sickness sacred to woman alone? And ought she not to know at least some of the general principles of that perfect and wonderful piece of mechanism committed to her preservation and care?” • What does the word arduous best mean in the following quote “Again let our sex be asked respecting the instruction they have received in the course of their education, on that still more arduous and difficult department of their profession” • Requiring no effort • Requiring lots of effort • Relaxing • Easy

10. Quiz Questions Continued 3) “If all females were not only well educated themselves, but were prepared to communicate in an easy manner their stories of knowledge to others; if they not only knew how to regulate their own minds, tempers and habits, but how to effect improvements in those around them, the face of society would speedily be changed.” Does the following quote appeal to pathos/logos/or ethos? • Ethos • Pathos • Logos • a&b

11. Quiz Continued 4) Why do you think the author decided to use a lot of rhetorical questions? 5) How does the author grab people’s attention?

12. Quiz Answers • It appeals to pathos because it makes you feel bad for the children and the mothers because they were not taught on how to take care of their children. • B. Requiring lots of effort • A. Ethos • The author uses rhetorical questions to get her point across that women need education, to learn how to take care of their children. • By using pathos to express emotions to make people feel bad for the women needing education.