& Historic Movements Politics The Victorian Age The Women’s Rights Movement The Victorian Age corresponded approximately to the reign of Queen Victoria that spanned from 1837 to 1901. Women’s Rights Movement had roots in the abolitionist movement of the 1830s. Many of the early leaders were members of the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) led During this time, Britain became the most powerful, by William Lloyd Garrison. They included such notables as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth richest empire in the world due to industrialization and Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott , Lydia Maria Child and Lucy Stone. imperialism. Consequently, it had a rich culture. It was a class-based society with a stable government. The American Anti-Slavery Society was invited to the World Anti-Slavery Convention in Population was about 3/4 working class and a growing London, England in 1840. At this convention, female delegates were segregated and number of people were able to vote. could only observe from a gallery. To protest, William Lloyd Garrison joined the women For the rest of the conference. As a result of this exclusion, Lucretia Mott and Eliza beth Cady Stanton to form a group for women’s rights. This became the genesis for the Gender & Class women’s suffrage movement and the organization of the first United States women’s rights convention. It was a hierarchical society organized by gender and class. Gender was the determining factor in potential The Seneca Falls Convention and character. It was based on the “doctrine of sepa- rate spheres”. Because men and women were made “differently”, they were meant for different things. The Seneca Falls Convention set in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 was the first women’s Queen Victoria, watercolor by Julia Abercromby, 1883 rights convention in the United States. It launched the women’s suffrage after a watercolor by Heinrich von Angeli Men were physically strong, while women were weak. National Portrait Gallery, London Photos.com/Getty Images Men were independent, while women were dependent. movements that took 71 years to gain the right to vote. The convention produced the Declaration of Sentiments, a manifesto that described women's grievances and Men belonged in the public sphere, while women belonged in the private sphere. Men demands. It called on women to fight for their constitutionally guaranteed social, civil were meant to participate in politics and in paid work, while women were meant to run and religious rights to equality as U.S. citizens. households and raise families. Women were also thought to be naturally more religious and morally finer than men. ———————————————————— Class was both economic and cultural. It was determined by income, occupation, family structure, education, sexual behavior, politics and leisure activities. The middle class grew during this time and some members became moral leaders of society. Education Reform Culture, Morals & Manners Britain became the cultural capitol of the world, influencing most things in art including music, painting, graphics, writing, theater, architecture and fashion. Mary Tyler Peabody Mann Popular theater loved melodrama which spilled into writing (as seen in Louisa May Alcott’s first published works; and Jo’s in Little Women). Many Victorian novels were The parents of Mary Tyler Peabody (1806 -1887) were teachers who setup a school in their sensational with complicated plots that often focused on romance and marriage. home. Mary and sisters, Elizabeth (1804-1894) and Sophia (1811 – 1871) grew up in this environment. Sophia was an artist who married author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Mary and Music Halls became a popular form of entertainment. They showcased songs that were Elizabeth went into teaching. The two sisters moved in 1826 from their home in Salem, transformed into tablature and lyrics and published in popular magazines such as Godey’s Massachusetts to a boarding house in Boston. This is where they met Horace Mann who Lady's Book so readers could learn them to play at home. was also residing there. Mary eventually returned to Salem where she opened a school for young children and began writing educational works for parents. After that, Mary worked Victorian morality encompassed a strict social code of conduct. The values included for the Massachusetts Board of Education where she served as Horace Mann’s secretary sexual proprietary, hard work, honesty and thrift, as well as a sense of responsibility to and assistant. Horace and Mary eventually married. the less well off. This spawned movements for justice, freedom, temperance and others based on strong moral values. The code specifically framed the expected behavior of a “proper” woman which encompassed strict standards of speech, attitudes, dress, appear- ance, modesty and sexuality. Respectability was a top goal. ———————————————————— Elizabeth Palmer Peabody The American Civil War Elizabeth went to work for Amos Bronson Alcott and helped establish his experimental Abraham Lincoln served as President of the United Temple School in Boston. The school opened September 22, 1833. After a falling out with States from March 1861 until his assassination in April, Alcott and his wife Abby, Elizabeth opened a bookshop in Boston that became a meeting 1865. He was the first Republican president. place for intellectuals, including the Transcendentalist circle and Harvard professors. Family friends and associates included Louisa May Alcott, William Ellery Channing, Ralph Prior to that he served: Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and other notable contemporaries. Four terms in the Illinois House of Representatives 1834, 1836, 1838 & 1840 Served in the US House of Representatives for the Whig Party 1840—1849 Won the popular vote for US Senate but lost to Stephen A. Douglas 1858 Main Causes of the American Civil War Horace Mann Horace Mann (1796 –1859) was an education reformer who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827-1833 and the Massachusetts Senate from 1834- Industry vs. Agriculture 1837. Mann was then appointed Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. His By the mid 1800’s, the north was dominated by industry; the south was supported by ideas included a "common school". The common school movement would make sure that a farming economy based on slave labor. every child got an education; and the schools would be paid for with taxes from the public. Mann believed that education was key in socializing; being involved in the government; and State’s Rights being a good citizen. Since the adoption of the Constitution, there was a divide between how Through the position of Secretary of the Board of Education , and with Mary Peabody’s much power the states should have versus how much power the federal assistance, he publicized school problems and created public support for increasing government should have. Southern states felt the government had too teacher’s pay and improving training through the founding of ‘normal’, or teacher-training, much power. schools. These colleges were the first to professionalize teaching. Horace and Mary’s work established the first normal schools in the country. One of these was Framingham Normal School where Emeline attended. Expansion Each new state added by western expansion tipped the balance of power. Each new state became a battle ground for that power. Slavery The south depended on slave labor. The north had abolished slavery in Amos Bronson Alcott the northern states on the grounds that it was morally wrong. Teacher, writer, philosopher and reformer, Amos Bronson Alcott (1799—1888) developed Northern abolitionists wanted slavery made illegal throughout the new ways to educate young children; tried to eliminate punishment of students as a way of learning; and was an advocate for women’s rights and the end of slavery. He instituted whole United States. physical class room reform such as backs for chairs; improved lighting and heating; and individual slates for each student. Other classroom reforms eliminated rote learning and Bleeding Kansas emphasized conversation and questioning rather than lecturing and drill. Alcott also The first fighting over slavery took place in Kansas . In 1854, the taught Biblical interpretations which some found blasphemous. This and other controversies made his credibility decline. Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed residents to vote. Support poured in from both sides. Confrontations resulted in the name “bleeding’ Membership in the Transcendentalist Club introduced him to other free thinkers and Kansas. In 1861, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. prompted a family move to Concord, Massachusetts. Succession Alcott and his wife Abby May had four daughters, the second oldest was Louisa May After Lincoln's election, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Alcott. Her novel, Little Women, was loosely based on some elements of their family life. Louisiana and Texas seceded from the United States. .