Womanhood

Part 1: Terms & Definitions

1. Gender- the range of characteristics pertaining to and distinguishing between masculinity and femininity.
2. Miscegenation- Mixing of sexes; for example, a white person marrying someone who is Mexican, Chinese, or etc.
3. Diversity- the quality of having different ideas, thoughts, cultures, race and, etc. 
4. Sex- the classification of male or female, you’re born with your sex.
5. Stereotype- a generalization that’s usually exaggerated and often offensive used to describe or distinguish people.
6. Patriarchy- a system of government in which men hold the power and omen are excluded from it.  
7. Manifest destiny-  A widely held belief in the United States that its settlers were destined to expand across North America. 
8. Eurocentric- centered on European culture especially, reflecting a tendency to interpret the world in terms of European values and experiences.
9. Colonialism- the control/governing influence of a nation over a dependent country, territory, or people.
10. Matrilineal-  Inheriting descent through the female line.  

Part 2: Complete the Sentences

1. America
2. Society or Dominant culture
3. Sex, race, class
4. Cult of true womanhood
5. European-influenced
6. Indigenous, African, Iberian
7. Cult, true womanhood, elite
8. Council of Trent
9. Translating between the Natives and the conquerors
10. Patriarchy

Part 3: Short Answer Questions

2. An example was in one of our texts where the author explains why snakes are bad. She talks about her mother telling her to be careful at night because they can crawl up to you and get you pregnant.

3. It’s important to study diversity and difference when studying women’s experience and history because schools, workplaces, etc., consist of various cultural and racial groups. Everyone can learn from one another but first one must have an understanding about each other, we all have our own story and are from various cultures.

4. Two sources that were used to compile a history of women were labyrinths, which were like pictographs, and pottery. They would tell stories based on what was drawn on the pottery or labyrinths, what it meant, and why it was on there.

The Cult of True Womanhood

The Cult of True Womanhood is a 19th century idea that women’s nature suited them especially for tasks especially those associated with the home. By that I mean that women were supposed to be at home cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, etc., while their husbands were at work. Passionless, pious, pure, perfect and, submissive were all traits that described these women during this century.

The cult argued that the true woman was the “guardian” of the family, they were perfect for this role because they were pure and closer to God. They were pure because they stayed at home away from the corrupting environment of the outside world. Since men were constantly outside the house working, they weren’t pure and were spiritually inferior to women. These women’s role in life was to do all the household chores from cleaning to feeding her husband and kids. They would prepare three meals every day, nurture their children both physically and spiritually, comfort her husband, take care of her family since she wasn’t subject to the corrupt environment of the outside.  

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