Cult of Domesticity

 

Today in class we've discussed another important job regarding the American worker in U.S. History. The Cult of Domesticity created an ideology of the perfect house wife. Here are some depictions of what was expected of women while the husband was out earning the money.

 

 

Here we see the domestic house wife in charge of ironing, dishes, laundry, sewing, and cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. All of these tasks humorly done with a smile and a sense of gracefulness.

 

 

Here is a political cartoon over the suffrage movement

 

I found this cartoon funny, because as a domestic housewife, women may feel trapped in their homes.

 

Again, a cartoon depicting women expectations.

Cult of Domesticity Advertisement is shown below. The 'perfect' image of Mrs. Brown is shown as every other woman's desire in this illustration.

 

I found this Family Circus newspaper cartoon relevant to our Cult of Domesticity discussion in class. The daughter is seriously doubting her mother's ability to keep up with the housework, assuming she must have had a job her whole life.

Motherhood is considered by most as a full time job.

 

A "Woman's Job" includes:

Shopping

Ironing

Cleaning

 

Cooking

Raising the children to their respective roles

The good wife's guide includes:

Have dinner ready

Look good

Be happy and interesting.

Clear away the clutter just before your husband walks through the door.

The Workers' Anvil

As the Industrial Revolution took hold in American society, many people and their businesses were greatly benefitted.  However, what was lost in this transition of agriculture to industry was the protection of the rights and well-being of the workers themselves.  The following song, written by Laura M. Griffing, is called "The Workers' Anvil."  It is about the fact that the laborers of this time were in need of protection and improvement of working conditions.  In favor of the workers' anvil, trade unions eventually developed in the later 19th century.

The Workers’ Anvil. 

 Words by Laura M. Griffing. 

Arranged by C. F. Mayering. 

Strike, strike, the Workers anvil, 

For the cause of Labor, 

Strike for your homes and freedom, 

For each friend and neighbor, 

Ev'ry one. 

For this great cause 

And reform laws, 

Now demand complete protection. 

Strike, strike, the fire is glowing— 

Heed ye not the minions, 

Seeking to capture Labor, 

And to clip the pinions 

Of our clan. 

Will you grant all 

At the first call, 

And submit to party factions. 

Guard, guard the right, companions; 

'Tis a phantom power, 

From civic rule descending, 

To despoil our dower. 

Will you come? 

Are you all strong, 

To fight the wrong, 

And advance the cause of labor. 

Hail, hail, ye brother workmen, 

Fierce and sharp the battle; 

Make life a glorious triumph 

Let the volleys rattle 

Loud and deep. 

Take a bold stand, 

Throughout the land, 

Thus to guard the rights of freemen. 

Sound, sound the labor tocsin, 

For our homes are cheerless; 

Stay not, for Justice guides you 

Be ye strong and fearless. 

Guard your right! 

If you dare, do! 

And all be true— 

You will gain a glorious victory. 

Unions Influence on the American Worker

Though criticized today by many of the Republican parties, Unions have served a purpose of defending the, "Little Guy," in the growing industrialization of America; many still depend on their unions to improve poor working conditions and force wealthy employers to pay them an equal wage for the work that they do:

All these benefits were established thanks to labor unions during the Age of Industrialization to combat big business. Labor Unions helped to modernize many of the benefits that you expect when you start your jobs; they helped to mold the American Worker.

Today, the Right-to-Work Law, adopted in twenty-four states across the United States, is a law that lowers the powers of labor unions: yes, many of today's population believes unions to be outdated, and are willing to rid their jobs of unions, but the basic purpose of a union is to help you live off of the pay and benefits that you receive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bco0OUmHGa0
This link is to the reaction of the passing of the Right-to-Work law in Michigan in 2012, and what that means to those unions that help establish the American Worker.

Women in the Workforce

Women have prevailed in the workforce since the beginning of the twentieth century, contributing to their husband's income, along with their children's. However, women in the workforce have had, and still must overcome, the problem of bias within the workforce.

http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.ocean.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=debd7545-793e-4516-b9eb-ae481c2ccdf5%40sessionmgr114&vid=7&hid=120
This document illustrates the various institutions that women in history have attempted to set up in the hopes that they will receive equal pay for equal work within a, mostly patriarchal society.
During World War II, women took control of the labor production while the men fought. Below was the famous poster that hoped to boost morale within factories, later called, "Rosie the Riveter."

image courtesy of google images

American Worker

The Mafia and Child Labor            In the 1800s, early 1900s, it was very common for children and teens to be working in harsh and dirty working areas for little to no pay.  Since the children had to work, they couldn't go to school and their life-time earnings were reduced.  The kids were often abused and neglected and some were not old enough to work a machine.  It was common for mob members to sell orphans and kids into factories and receive their pay.  Many bosses would get away with paying the kids nothing. The mafia, and mobs alike both played a part in this crime. They would take advantage of children, mostly children of immigrants, and put them in sweatshops or other harsh labor for little or no pay. Children were normally better for these tasks than adults because their hands were smaller, and their bodies could fit into smaller caves and caverns. For example, children were often used in sweatshops where fabrics were made because their fingers were more nimble and could move about the strings more freely. Children were also more useful in mining because they could get down into small areas where adults could not reach. They also could be lowered into caves easier because they were lighter. A picture of this can be seen above; it was taken in Pennsylvania in 1910.       (LEFT)- Young boy working in a dirty and dangerous conditions while his pay is given to a crimelord.

Who the American Worker Included

CHILDREN

Children who worked included orphans or children abandoned by their family's support.

Children worked as young as age six, with sometimes only one adult supervisor.

They earned less than $0.50 a day.

 

Children would work in cotton mills, coal mines, and as newspaper delivery boys.

Here we see the children arn't even tall enough to work at their stations as they stand on boxes to raise them up.

 Children were good employees for the coal mines of America. In this illustration it is easy to see that their small, flexible bodies were ideal for traveling in the small tunnels of the mine.

 

THE "NEW" vs "OLD" IMMIGRANT

The immigrants considered "New" at the turn of the nineteenth century included immigrants from Asia, Eastern Europe, and Southern Europe. The "new" immigrants typically got left with the work that no other American wanted to do. Employers welcomed the "new" immigrants, however, because they would work for less wages than the "old" and "skilled" American.

I don't care how much you pay me, I would not take this job.

"New" immigrants that came to the west coast from China were responsible for creating about 80% of the transcontinental railroad.

I found this political cartoon interesting. It shows the "skilled" and priveleged Americans with their "old" immigrant shadows behind them trying to stop the "new" immigrant from docking on their land.

To the left there is "The Men Who Built America" as the history channel tells viewers in their popular new series on TV. Then, to the right, are the actual men who built America. They are the ones holding the tools!

WOMEN

Women of the 19th century entered the work force employed in mills, factories, farming, domestic service, department stores, and as social reformers

Office work, such as being a secretary, was one of the few opportunities women had to use their literacy as a professional. Office work was preferred above all other occupations.

Women, like children, were not paid on an equal scale as men. They began to work towards their rights as citizens as the banner in this picture above asks for "Raises not Roses."

Race and ethinicity were big factors in determining a woman's carreer path. For example, white women were sought out more as secretaries, where black women were employed as domestic servants. Eventually, the domestic jobs became undesirable and were left to the "new" immigrants.

 

Cities see political corruption from "Bosses"

William Marcy "Boss" Tweed was the most notorious city boss. As the cities continued to grow, there was a need to create public facilities and services for the city. Tweed was incharge of New York's Democratic political party. He used bribery and graft to hold power in the city. His abuse of power lead to demands for reform, and Tweed fell from power in 1871. The text tells us that Thomas Nast was a cartoonist who depicted Tweed for the crook he was in the pages of Harper's Weekly. These cartoons spread messages to Americans both literate and illiterate. I've posted some below to give a visual of the political messages being sent across to the rest of American workers during the nineteenth century.

The American Worker on the Transcontinental Railroad

Chapter 19 of the American Promise, "The Growth of America's Cities," explains what kind of work people did in Industrial America. Occupation depended on race and ethnicity of the American. The text explains the "old" immigrant and the "new" immigrant. The "new" immigrant included people from Eastern Europe and Asia. These immigrants were attracted to the "American Dream" and "California Gold Rush," when choosing to immigrat here, but forced to take the "undesirable" jobs, like constructing the transcontinental railroad. The video posted above shows anthropologists studying the sites along where these Asain-Americans worked and speculate what the life of an Asain immigrant in the 19th century was like. I found this video interesting, because it credits Asian immigrants for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. In this other video, created by the BBC network, shows the history of the transcontinental railroad creation through the perspective of the wealthy white man who managed the epic project. Through this one project, one can see each end of the spectrum in regards to the poverish American Worker and the wealthy American Worker.