r 166). These manuals approached everything from child care to building a house. They began to bridge the space between what was expected of women and the resources that were availableo carry out those expectations. Catherine’s book was unique in that it associated psychology with all aspects of domesticity (Sklar 152). Catherine was able to insert her own strong opinions about the superiority of the domestic sphere, while still providing a detailed instruction ohow to carry out household tasks. For many women the manuals written by Catherine Beecher and the authors of her time were life saving. Lack of adequate information about domestic responsibilities could overwhelm a young wife and mother, causing them to give up and become depressed (Sar 153). This happened to Catherine’s own mother who was thrust into domestic isolation with little contact with family and friends (Sklar 6). These manuals gave an alternative to oral instruction. Catherine’s book specifically gave an added explanatn of how important the woman’s role was; allowing women to take pride in their sphere giving them a sense of their own necessity in the world. Self esteem plays a major role in the changes brought about in the nineteenth century. White middle class women were considered subordinate to men out of necessity for the greater good of society. Their opinions, although valued, were sacrificed to pmote and strengthen the interests of their husbands. Many women had shallow ambitions and did not realize the power of their natural attributes. Catherine Beecher begins to address the use of this power in the late 1820’s (Sklar 96). She does not enurage women to take an equal place in civil and political concerns, but to focus on their own sphere and realize the power held within. Catherine suggests that the nation is in need of a savior from moral decline and that women are the perfect moral saors (Sklar 98). She argues...
