Making a Woman in the Early Republic
Term Paper for AMH3561 with Dr. Fon Gordon
29 September 2005
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her diary, 1785-1812 is an important piece in solving the puzzle of the early republic. Though American history can be discovered through classic text books and various websites, Ulrich’s book puts a face to early America, showing an ordinary person who is just attempting to live her life. Through this, however, we are able to understand exactly how the larger picture of American history influenced the people living in the early republic, especially marginalized people, like women and blacks. Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale presents a variety of ways in which race, gender, and literacy were created in the early republic, including, but not limited to, the use of language, the creation of separate spheres and the marginalization of various types of “women’s literacy” while increasing the requirement for “traditional” literacy.
The use of language “was central to both bonds of slavery and of womanhood[1].” In regards to the creation of race by language, one can look directly to A Midwife’s Tale which includes a passage regarding a white woman working for an American citizen: “I have no master … I am no sarvant; none but negers are sarvants.”[2] This woman uses language specifically to distance herself racially. By stating that she is not a servant, she actively disassociates herself from both free blacks and the enslaved. Also according to Ulrich, at least one free black in Hallowell, Beulah Prince, would be considered a servant by these standards, even though she was free to come and go.[3] Language was also pivotal in the creation of womanhood. Martha Ballard refers to women as Mrs. or widow, occasionally Lady or Old Lady, but refers to most men by their profession: Doctor, Colonel, Judge, etc. Not only does this use of language shape the creation of womanhood, allowing men to be defined by their work, and women only by their marital status (with those who were unmarried being called merely by their name) or age, but it also defines race, as Martha refers to blacks only by their name, as in “Black Edmond’s Lydia,” rather than as Mr. or Mrs. even if those people were married. None of the free blacks in Hallowell were given any sort of title.[4]
The creation of separate spheres also helped define womanhood and racial differences. While Martha was the one who tended the garden and dealt with the household chores[5], Ephraim dealt with the political workings of the community, like sitting in on trials and working a “legitimate” job as a surveyor.[6] Though Martha did have a profession, that of a midwife, by the closing of her life, her skill and practice was becoming increasingly discredited and marginalized. The creation of the American Medical Association and the proliferation of articles like the one quoted on page 251 of A Midwife’s Tale, which states that women cannot practice the skills of midwifery without destroying essential portions of their character, helped push people towards using male doctors with degrees and away from the female healer. In regards to separate spheres also creating race, the only mention of a female black with an occupation other than as housemaid was treated as an anomaly, such as the “Negro doctress” who did not even receive a name in the diary.[7] Aside from Beulah Prince and the aforementioned “Negro doctress,” Martha does not provide us any hint of what the free blacks of Hallowell do for work, black men’s occupations were not mentioned, thus again separating the races by use of language.
Literacy, like race and gender, was also created in this early republic. Traditional types of women’s literacy, such as housework, weaving, planting, childrearing and cooking, were being marginalized. These activities were specifically referred to as women’s work, leading one to believe that literacy in such fields is not necessary for all. In addition to women’s work, upper class women were also encouraged to have “accomplishments” which “finished” them, implying that they were not complete to begin with.[8] Such “accomplishments” included needlework, flower arranging, party planning, learning a musical instrument (particularly piano), painting, writing, and learning another language (particularly French). These “accomplishments” were not required for men, as public education or the apprenticeship they completed were more than enough to “finish” them, not that men needed finishing. However, the required literacy for men was also necessary for women. The ability to read and write, as well as perform simple arithmetic, was considered required for a republican woman. The ability to manage the household depended on being able to keep track of moneys as well as read. A classically literate mother would help raise literate children, which would benefit the republic as a whole. Martha’s specific forms of literacy ranged from the required (reading, writing, simple arithmetic) to wholly “feminine” (weaving, planting, cooking) and also to the esoteric (her midwifery skills and knowledge of herbs). However, Martha was only considered a literate woman by most standards because of the fact that she was able to read and write, something that was considered common in Hallowell by 1740.[9]
A Midwife’s Tale allows us to view the life of a woman of the early republic, understanding what was important to her and what was common of the times. The diary of Martha Ballard, when examined carefully, also shows us how language and the creation of separate spheres allowed for the making of race and gender in the early republic. The diary is also able to show us not just the making of literacy, but what type of literacy was important. Though many were used through day to day life, the only form that provided validation was the ability to read and write, something that we should be rather grateful that Martha was able to do.
[1] Dr. Fon Gordon, Lecture, AMH3561: Women in American History, September 2005.
[2] Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Midwife’s Tale, (New York: Vintage Books,1991), 224.
[3] Ibid., 225.
[4] Ibid., 98.
[5] Ibid., 323-326.
[6] Ibid., 335.
[7] Ibid., 53.
[8] Dr. Fon Gordon, Lecture, AMH3561, 6 September 2005.
[9] Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale, 10.
Works Cited
Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher. A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary. New York: Knopf, 1990.
Gordon, Dr. Fon. Class Lectures. AMH3561: Women in American History, September 2005.
All contents copyright Elizabeth Tibbert 2005.