Humanities Homework Help

Introduction

Before women got the vote in 1920, women showed that they were interested in politics and they were “invited” to participate by cleaning it up — domestic analogies unapologetic.  In Beard’s piece above, she embodies a feminism that is unlike any definition used for women today. 

Sources

Mary Beard, “Municipal Housekeeping” in Through Women’s Eyes: An American History, With Documents, 3rd ed., ed. Ellen Carol Dubois and Lynn Dumenil (Boston: Bedford, 2012), 467.

For the Post

1. How does she describe public life?
2. Do you think Beard is aware of the feminine ideologies of Republican Motherhood and True Womanhood?  What makes you say yes/no?
3. Thinking about the lecture for this past week, how would you define feminism in the early 1900s (1900-1920)?
4. With this in mind, was Beard a feminist?  Why?

*You must provide a short parenthetical citation for every response to a source as you would in a RW.  For example, (Scott, 105

comment on this 2 posts 

1) Part 1

3. 1. How does she describe public life? Beard describes public life for women being filled with numerous attempts to fix the problems they see (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467). The women who are of upper and middle class standing also enjoy a lot of leisure time which means that they have enough time to see and understand the issues that needs to be fixed (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467).
   2. Do you think Beard is aware of the feminine ideologies of Republican Motherhood and True Womanhood? What makes you say yes/no? I think that Beard is aware of the ideologies because she has been apart of unions and other political groups as she is advocating for change through municipal means which is something that is opposite to the Republican Motherhood and True Womanhood ideologies that would have her submissive at home only taking care of the kids and not writing about political change (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467).
   3. Thinking about the lecture for this past week, how would you define feminism in the early 1900s (1900-1920)? I would define feminism in the 20th century as the push for political participation, equality for all women (but really middle and upper class women not black or poor women), and the change of the current social system in place that is against them (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467).
   4. With this in mind, was Beard a feminist? Why? I would say that she is technically though it is hard to tell from this particular source. I think this because she was a part of many activities done during this progressive era that pushed for women’s equality harder than ever (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467). Her being one the activists, writers, and inspirations for actions I think would constitute her as a feminism though she doesn’t plain out say that in the source (Beard, “‘Municipal,” 467). 

2) PART 1

1. Beard describes public life as a public sphere that requires clean up due to human misery that was brought by corruptions and evil interests of male authorities. (Beard, “Municipal Housekeeping,” 467)
2. I think Beard is aware of ideologies of Republican Motherhood and True Womanhood because her writing emphasizes women’s ability to sense human misery, and to be the calming presence that solves the problem within households and public arena. (Beard, “Municipal Housekeeping,” 467) Beard advocates for women’s influence in supporting services and agencies which would clean up public arena, as to women being in leadership roles which would require direct political participations. (Beard, “Municipal Housekeeping,” 467)
3. I would define feminism in the early 1900s as a progress in work because different women groups such as Blacks, immigrants, and Native Americans were left out of conversations in female activism, and there were social resistance to feminism due to maternalism. (Kim, “Voting Rights: Progressive Era,” Lecture) However feminism during this era brought greater success in achieving political participation for women than previous era.
4. Beard was a feminist since she advocated for women’s active role in public sphere, and she emphasized women’s participation in social services and political agencies. (Beard, “Municipal Housekeeping,” 467) 
5. , respond to two of your peers by commenting their definition of feminism in the early 1920s. Do you agree/disagree and why?
6. As always, be respectful in your comments and be sure to comment on ones that have not yet received one.
7. Be thoughtful in your peer responses, pointing at specific things in their responses; in short, say a bit more than “good observation!” 🙂