What Was the Cult of Domesticity - Essay Example

No: s Discussion 7 Discussion Activity: What was the "cult of domesti (A Peoples History, p. 104)? Do you agree that it was "a way of pacifying her [women] with a doctrine of separate but equal?" Why or why not? Does a similar "cult of domesticity" exist in America today? How and why? The ‘cult of domesticity’ can also be understood as cult of true womanhood according to which, women were required to play certain roles and were restricted to do others. Women as per cult of domesticity were required to maintain their sexual purity, follow religion, keep their home a happy place to live, educate their children, and do all the house jobs such as cleaning, nursing, cooking, sewing, and flower arranging. The women were also allowed to read books, but they were restricted to read some books and avoid others. According to the ‘cult of domesticity’, women were given ‘separate but equal’ status. Like men, they were assigned some tasks to perform, but they were of different nature. Women were not allowed to choose their life partners and after their marriage, their lives were designed as per their family needs. Marriages meant chained status for women (Zinn). The cult of domesticity introduced women to their equal status in society that was quite different, but in fact, in this manner women became aware of their subordinate status in the society. They were not allowed to vote and to possess property. In addition, if they were required to work outside their homes, they received one fourth of the wages that men obtained. They were also restricted not to join certain professions such as law and medicine. Therefore, cult of domesticity was not a way of pacifying her with a doctrine of separate but equal, but to inform her about her restrictions and limitations according to which, she should lead her life. She was expected to lead her life as per the proper codes of conduct designed for her. She enjoyed little or no liberty and was to remain passive and submissive to patriarchal system of the society. For becoming a perfect woman, she was to acquire the qualities of submissiveness and domesticity (Zinn). The role of wife and mother in America as well as in other parts of the world still undergoes certain restrictions because there are certain norms and standards, according to which, a wife and a mother are required to act. Male members of out society have always kept certain expectations with women and their roles in the society. A woman is not accepted with everything, as she is required to bring changes in her personality according to her husband and children’s needs. Therefore, according to my understanding, some form of ‘cult of domesticity’ still exists. Women enjoy a more liberal and free status in today’s society, but her roles as a good mother and wife put chains around her. As far as men are concerned, they enjoyed utmost liberty and freedom in the patriarchal system as well as today. They have a dominant role to play and they decide what they require of women in the society. A woman has to adjust and bring changes in her personality if she wants to bring up a successful family life and children. Without her compromise and submissiveness, she is not accepted with all her liberties while on the other hand, women are ready to accept men with everything without putting restrictions on their roles and freedom (Zinn). Discussion 8 Discussion Activity: How did American leaders define civilized? Is there anything you read in either chapter that leads you to believe that the Indian people were not civilized? Why did so many Euro-Americans believe the Indians were not civilized? How would your definition of civilized differ from that of nineteenth-century policy makers and the American public? The white settlers in America spread westward to a large number after which, Jefferson proposed about Indian removal. Euro-Americans regarded Indian removal essential for their progress as Indians were received as hindrances for white settlement. The Indians owned the land, which was a problem for white settlers. According to Jefferson’s proposal to congress, “Indians should be encouraged to settle down on smaller tracts and do farming; also, they should be encouraged to trade with whites, to incur debts, and then to pay off these debts with tracts of land”. For this purpose, the Euro-Americans wanted the Indians to leave hunting and to increase trading houses for agriculture, manufacturing and civilization (Zinn). American leaders regarded the expansion of trade, agriculture, economy as civilized actions. They regarded it their natural right to take over the lands and consider themselves the most civilized nation. Civilization for Euro-Americans was a way to make the Indians submissive to white population and to take over their lands. Behind the civilization motive, the Euro-Americans were only interested to acquire Indian land for agriculture, manufacturing, industries, mining, infrastructure development, and settlement (Zinn). There is nothing that depicts about Indian people as barbarous or uncivilized, but they were called as savage and barbarous only because of their hunting and because of justifying the acquisition of their lands. Indian people had their own ways of leading life, had their own cultures, traditions, language and norms of leading lives. They were in no way barbarous or uncivilized. Euro-Americans believed in Indians’ savagery and uncivilized status because they regarded themselves as supreme beings having natural rights to rule and expand their territories. By claiming Indians as uncivilized and savage, the white settlers wanted to place them in inferior status so that they can take away their lands and exercise their self-perceived right of rule on any land. Through deception and force, the Euro-Americans deprived Indians of their lands and rights. As per the mentioned motives, Euro-Americans intended that Indians under government’s safety and good counseling, would leave their ‘savage habits’ and become civilized Christians. In nowhere, the white settlers describe about how the Indians were savage or barbarous, but these words were continuously used for explaining them (Zinn). According to my consideration, civilized is someone who is aware of his placement in a society, who lives according to the norms and standards followed in a society, who takes care of others’ rights and possessions, who respects others and is a good human being. Our foremost religion that we have to follow is the religion of humanity and being civilized means that we have to live with all others respecting our differences and celebrating our similarities. People should be accepted as they are. America is now a multicultural land accommodating many cultures and people from different lands. The nineteenth-century policy makers and the American public were working for the removal of other cultures and superiority of their own culture while today, the time is different (Zinn). Discussion 9 Discussion Activity: In A People’s History, Howard Zinn writes, “Accompanying all this aggressiveness was the idea that the United States would be giving the blessings of liberty and democracy to more people” (p. 154). Do you think this was a valid reason for going to war in the nineteenth century? What other acts of “aggressiveness” have been undertaken by the United States government in the name of liberty and democracy? Do you think this is a valid reason for going to war today? How and why? In the nineteenth century, United States had a war with Mexico and the reasons for which, United States called for the war were not enough for invading Mexico. According to Howard Zinn, “accompanying all this aggressiveness was the idea that the United States would be giving the blessings of liberty and democracy to more people” (p. 154). It means that United States played as an aggressor against Mexico and its aggression was there for providing liberty and democracy to more people who are invaded by US. This was not at all a valid reason for going to war in the 19th century. America’s aggression was based on notions of racial supremacy, aspiration to get hold of beautiful lands of Mexico and California and to expand the economy across the Pacific. President Polk with the help of General Taylor sent a patrol party to a disputed area held by Mexican army after which, they were wiped out by the Mexicans. On this military incident, President Polk got a reason for encouraging American army to attack Mexico so that the Americans can get their manifest destiny. The white Americans regarded it their natural right to overspread, expand, and occupy the land that come in their way. The motives for attacking Mexico were to get hold of the territory along with California. The war was merely fought for the purpose of expansion of American territory. American government fought the war in spite of a large opposition from Americans and America wanted to empower itself and get itself economically more stable (Zinn). The war with Mexico was against liberty and democracy as democratically, more Americans were against the war, but the advocates of manifest destiny were adamant to take hold of foreign Mexican and Californian lands for United States for the expansion purposes. They wanted to provide liberty and democracy to those against whom firstly aggression was used to invade their lands. Other acts of aggression in the United States at that time include Indian removal from their owned lands through deception and force and the slavery widely accepted in US that led the country to a civil war. Nowadays, the governments of countries have wider motives and they want to get hold of various lands for fulfillment of their motives. The purposes today can be acquirement of energy resources, armed collections, and economical elevation and so on. The countries today as well opt for aggressive actions for meeting their targets. However, the wars today are much more annihilating because many of the countries are well-equipped with armaments and nuclear arsenal that can lead to third world war. Getting hold of targeted lands for selfish motives is not a valid reason even now and can result in massive killing and invasion of foreign lands. Such steps by powerful states should be avoided and they should not regard other states and their people as uncivilized, savage or uncultured because every state has its own set of culture, traditions, history and so on (Zinn). Discussion 11 Discussion Activity: Write a letter home to your family in Ireland that describes your voyage to America in 1845, reception upon arrival, and your life in the city during the ten years you have been in the United States. (Responses should be in the character of a family member reading the letter.) Dear Elizabeth, The voyage to America was not an easy task, you can say it an uphill task. I remained for a long time in the ship that was going to bring us all to America. I thought as if I would never leave the ship because it took six to eight weeks to reach America. The ship was loaded with several hundred immigrants, most of whom were sick. All of the ship members were like me as they left Ireland because of the famine. I was not aware that the voyage of the ship would be so terrible. There were so many people on the ship and they were sick and diseased. Many of the passengers were dying because of sickness. There was no reception upon arrival and we were left on our own to die there. Many of the Irishmen died there, but I was lucky to have more life, but I was not aware that I was going to live a terrible life on this new land. In the ten years that I have lived in the US until now, I have seen people dying of hunger, sickness and lack of accommodation. I witnessed a clear class difference between aristocratic classes and the poor ones. The jobs that I got were temporary and low-waged. I had a very difficult time here. Even mobs of Irishmen assembled for revolting against aristocrats, but the results were their deaths as if they were insects and nothing more. I have seen that human life has no importance here. People can live and die on their own without any governmental support or assistance. The working conditions in the mills were intensely dangerous and hazardous for workers due to which, many people lost their lives. The immigrants were also offered low wages due to which, their livelihood was difficult. We have listened to the American myth of success according to which, anyone who struggles can get economic success, but this is only a dream, as what I can see here is that poor remain poor while rich get richer. I shared a living room with eight other people and all our belongings were just there to be shared by any other person. We all faced scarcity of food, water, shelter and work, all of which could lead a person to depression and sickness. In addition to all these conditions, I faced discrimination as the white workers and other people regarded us inferior and stupid. There were black people who competed with us for meager jobs and when they got the jobs, we got infuriated. Because of no or little opportunities available for earning a little money, many of the people among us promoted lawlessness for getting something to eat, something to drink or something to survive. People were involved in violence and strikes, all of which, led to deaths of hundreds of people. I have seen that America has nothing to offer as I underwent so harsh conditions of survival that sometimes, I just wanted to kill myself. If I am able to survive all the odds here, I will return someday to my own land. Works Cited Zinn, Howard. A peoples history of the United States. Pan Macmillan, 2014. Also available at: Read More