Harriet Beecher Stowe followed up the extraordinary literary success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin with a domestic handbook co-authored with her sister, Catharine Beecher. The American Woman’s Home, published in 1869, is a comprehensive manual to nineteenth century domestic science. Within pages that outline the proper care of children and management of kitchen cupboards, the sisters write, “When our Lord ascended, his last command was ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.’ For ages, most Christian people have supposed this command was limited to the apostles . . . But a time is coming when Christian churches will understand this command in a much more comprehensive sense; and the ‘Christian family’ and ‘Christian neighborhood’ will be the grand ministry of salvation.” This class examines how women writers took up this twin mission to Christianize their homes and families, and by extension, to Christianize their neighborhoods and nation. Their status as angels in the house, the civilizing force at the center of the domestic sphere, became the rhetorical landscape on which these writers became angels on the page, arguing on behalf of abolition, temperance, the protection of the family, and the civilizing of American society. Readings will include Harriet Beecher Stowe, Catharine Beecher, Angelina Grimké, Harriet Jacobs, Lydia Maria Child, Maria Stewart, Marietta Holley, and Carrie Nation.

Intended Audience:

Online-only students are welcome!

Class Format:

Exams: N/A

Lectures: Asynchronous and Online

Class Discussions: Asynchronous and Online