Lesson Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: The Cult of Domesticity

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson that looks at the place of women in nineteenth century America. While their role that was constrained by societal expectations, they still wielded political power in subtle ways.
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Catharine Beecher

For Students 9th - 10th
Catharine Esther Beecher was a nineteenth century teacher and writer who promoted equal access to education for women.
Primary
Columbia University

Treatise on Domestic Economy: The Peculiar Responsibilities of American Women

For Students 9th - 10th
Text of the first chapter of Catharine Beecher's 1841 "Treatise on Domestic Economy, a best-seller of its time, which tries to reconcile women's position in society with Christian and democratic values.