A Molding of Victorian Childhood Identity Christopher B
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James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2013 Citizens of the empire: A molding of Victorian childhood identity Christopher B. Gallagher James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Gallagher, Christopher B., "Citizens of the empire: A molding of Victorian childhood identity" (2013). Masters Theses. 216. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/216 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Citizens of the Empire: A Molding of Victorian Childhood Identity Christopher B. Gallagher A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History May 2013 Acknowledgements This project would never have been completed without the bountiful help provided by so many faculty members at James Madison University. Foremost, I would like to thank Dr. John J. Butt, my thesis advisor. Dr. Butt’s endless guidance, support, and encouragement was always available. I cannot thank him enough for willingly allowing me to tackle such a broad thematic project with such patience. Additionally, this project would not be the same without the efforts of the other members of my thesis committee, Dr. Christian Davis and Dr. Timothy Fitzgerald. Their thoughtful, delightful, and challenging comments stretched me to think rigorously about the content, theory, and structures of my thesis. To say the least, this project was strengthened by their efforts. It also must be pointed out that countless other faculty members at James Madison University contributed to my intellectual journey as part of my MA program. I would especially like to thank Dr. Kevin Hardwick for participating in my oral examination specifically and generally for his advice and guidance about graduate school and life. Finally, I have to broadly thank all of the other professors that I worked with either as a student or teaching assistant here at James Madison University. Every course and experience contributed to thematic contents of this thesis, and this project would not exist in its current form without each and every one of you. Yet, I would never have found my way to James Madison University without the guidance of numerous of my professors at Bridgewater College. I would like to give many thanks to Dr. Jason Vuic, Dr. Kara Vuic, Dr. Brandon Marsh, and many others who always believed in me and encouraged me to continue my studies in the field of history. In fact, my choice in studying world history and specifically British imperial history ii stems in general from my undergraduate liberal arts experience at Bridgewater College. The lessons that many professors taught did more than just broaden my mind, they helped craft the foundations that led to this project’s conception. I would lastly like to thank all of my peers and friends with whom I studied during my time at James Madison University. Your willingness to participate in challenging historical discussions, to provide constructive criticism, and to proofread drafts and sentences was always appreciated. But mostly importantly I end with thanking all of you for your steadfast friendship. Trust me, this project would never have been finished without your friendly yet sarcastic comments, your sometimes “antagonistic" views that made me defend world history, or your ability to serve as a necessary distraction even when I needed some guilt tripping. Thank you all. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. ii Abstract ................................................................................................................................v Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: “You’re a Briton”: The Proper Combination of Victorian Morality and Physicality ..................................................................................................................25 Chapter Two: “That’lt make a mon yet”: The Imperial Ramifications of Middle Class Gender Beliefs ............................................................................................................51 Chapter Three: “I was an Englishman”: How Being a Citizen of the Empire Created Racial Hierarchies ......................................................................................................76 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................105 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................109 iv Abstract The Victorian Era in Great Britain was a time period of dramatic change. The Industrial Revolution was altering the social and economic fabric of society. Socially, Victorians were confronted with new theories that challenged their religious beliefs. The British Isles were progressing steadily in creating a national identity. Finally, the existence of the British Empire made imperialism a factor that cannot be ignored. Yet, many historians have pointed out that the history of the British metropole itself is often disconnected from the political and cultural history of the Empire. It is within this conversation that this project seeks to find a place. This project advocates for the ideological existence of what made an ideal British citizen in an imperial context. The term “Citizen of the Empire” is being used deliberately in this context to describe this ideal British citizen, which existed in conjunction with imperial culture. This ideal identity was one that stemmed from middle class Victorian beliefs about morality, physicality, gender, national identity, and race. This paper attempts to utilize all of these thematic concepts in light of current trends in the fields of world history, British imperial history, and postcolonial discourses. The Citizen of the Empire ideal can be found in numerous cultural sources. However, this paper will investigate two types of primary sources that deal with children. Victorian children were not isolated from these cultural treads. Rather this ideal was so strong that it was inherently embedded in the discourse surrounding various Victorian youth organizations. Furthermore, the Citizen of the Empire ideal can be found in countless examples of children’s literature. v This imperial ideal stemmed from a proper combination of middle class Victorian beliefs surrounding morality and physicality. Additionally, being a Citizen of the Empire meant conforming to middle class Victorian gender roles. All of these middle class expectations helped to create an ideal, proper, and thereby superior, model of a British citizen within the metropole. Finally, this superior model was used as a justification for the creation of a hierarchical relationship between the British and other cultures. Thus, the fusion of national identity and race produced a sense of cultural superiority which encouraged the civilizing mission and outright racism. vi Introduction The Victorian Era in Great Britain produced countless examples of children’s literature that displayed the cultural ideal of being a “Citizen of the Empire” for middle class children. Take for example Robert M. Ballantyne’s imaginary character of Ralph Rover, who was stranded in the middle of the islands of the Pacific Ocean far away from his British homeland. This young, pious boy was startled when another character exclaimed: Now, I believe there’s thousands o’ the people in England who are such born drivellin’ won’t-believers that they think the black fellows hereaway, at the worst, eat an enemy only now an’ then, out o’spite; whereas I know for certain, and many captains of the British…navies know as well as me, that the Feejee islanders eat not only their enemies but one another; and they do it not for spite, but for pleasure. It’s a fact that they prefer human flesh to any other.1 This quote conveys a negative view of Pacific Islanders by painting them as savage creatures whose desire for human flesh made them something less than human. However, such passages were designed to do more than simply provoke a negative view of other cultures; rather authors used them as evidence and justification for imperialism and positioning British culture on top of a racial hierarchy. As soon to be Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli stated in 1872 at the Crystal Palace, “The issue is not a mean one. It is whether…you will be a great country, -an Imperial country- a country where your sons, when they rise, rise to paramount positions, and obtain not merely the esteem of their countrymen, but command the respect of the world…”2 The Victorian Era witnessed a developing British national identity, and consequently an imperial identity, which was 1 R. M. Ballantyne, The Coral Island, (London: J.M. Dent and Sons LTD, 1961), 217. Emphasis original. 2T.E. Kebbel,, ed, Selected Speeches of the Late Right Hon. The Earl of Beaconfield. Vol II, (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1882), 534. 2 connected to a sense of racial superiority. Operating under this mindset,