The Southern Lady From Pedestal to Politics 1830-1930
Anne Firor Scott's The Southern Lady: From Pedestal to Politics 1830-1930 takes a social yet intellectual approach to the cultural image of the ideal southern woman. Scott analyzes the effect of this predominate image on women's behavior. Southern women are given a voice through Scott's writings. They clearly and vividly speak out about their feelings. These female southern heroes vividly and profoundly proclaim self-determination inspite of having to sometimes conform to social and cultural expectations. Scott relied upon diaries and letters, which had been preserved in manuscript collections across the United States, to analyze southern women's perceptions about their situation. The southern woman was defined as a submissive individual whose reason for being was to "love, honor, obey, and occas
The Civil War brought about a change for southern women. Since most men had been called to fight in the war, southern women had to assume greater responsibilities. They became manufacturers, managers, merchants, planters, and millers. They assumed responsibilities for maintaining, and if possible, increasing the food supply and for producing cotton and wool. They had to make clothes, flags, bandages, tents, and other things that were needed by soldiers. They were also responsible for overseeing the plantation, running the husband's business, and taking care of their children. ionally amuse her husband." She was expected to raise "his children " and "manage his household." The central meaning of her life was family and motherhood. The everyday realities of life for a married woman were different f
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Approximate Word count = 547
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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