AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Cult of Domesticity (Day 94/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Cult of Domesticity in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

The Mill Girls of Lowell, National Park Service

Rapid industrialization spurred new opportunities and roles for women in the 19th century. Many young women moved to urban areas to obtain employment, especially in factories.

Godey’s Lady’s Book, 1840, Wikimedia Commons

In response to these changing roles for women, a reinvigoration of stereotypical expectations emerged which became known as the Cult of Domesticity or the Cult of True Womanhood.

“The Sphere of Woman,” Godey’s Lady’s Book, University of Virginia.

It emphasized domestic ideals and the separation of public and private spheres which stressed a woman’s role in the house and a man’s role in the workplace and politics. Women were idealized as nurturing, moral, and well-suited for the role of motherhood.

Illustration of slaves cutting sugar cane on a southern plantation in the 1800s. National Geographic

However, it also perpetuated beliefs about the inferiority of women and attitudes about the nature of different genders. Additionally, this ideal wasn’t attainable for all, particularly women of color and working-class women.

The Cult of Domesticity was a 19th century ideal about the proper roles for women. It reinforced stereotypical beliefs about the inferiority of women and idealized their role in the home.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Growth of Commercial Agriculture in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!