Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Origins of Modern Feminism: Women in Britain, France and the United States 1780–1860 pp 108–149Cite as

Educating Hearts and Minds

  • Chapter

  • 77 Accesses

Part of the book series: Themes in Comparative History ((TCH))

Abstract

In the early nineteenth century, educationalists, whether evangelical, rationalist or romantic, in their approach were united in stressing certain common themes which would prove to be of great significance for women’s education. In England, France and the United States, speculation about child development, drawing on the diverse inheritances of Locke and Rousseau, and on the work of such contemporary writers as Pestalozzi, emphasised the role of family and parents, and especially mothers, in imprinting good and moral lessons upon the child in infancy, in drawing out what was best in the child’s nature. So ‘maternal education’, or the task of the mother as educator and as socialiser became the focus for much important work. In particular, mothers were required to turn their attention to the next generation of educators, their daughters. Such a theme clearly formed one part of that enhancement of the domestic sphere which was such a feature of the early nineteenth century. Some women, and some men, interested in the quality of women’s education, were to carry the argument further: was women’s education to be undertaken only in the interest of later generations, or were those generations better served by first concentrating on women themselves? What could women achieve, through self-culture and self-improvement?

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Notes and References

  1. Maria Edgeworth, Letters for Literary Ladies: to which is added, an essay on the noble science of self-justification (London, 1795), pp. 45ff.

    Google Scholar 

  2. M. Butler, Jane Austen and the War of Ideas (Oxford, 1975), p. 131.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Maria Edgeworth and Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Practical Education, 2 vols (1798; reprinted London and New York, 1974), ed. G. Luria.

    Google Scholar 

  4. M. A. Stodart, Female writers: thoughts on their proper sphere, and on their powers of usefulness (London, 1842 ), p. 146.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Mrs E. O. Benger, Memoirs of the late Mrs Elizabeth Hamilton, with a selection from her correspondence, and other unpublished writings, 2 vols (London, 1818 ).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dugald Stewart recur throughout her major work, Letters on the elementary principles of education, 3rd edn, 2 vols (London, 1803).

    Google Scholar 

  7. See V. Colby, Yesterday’s Woman. Domestic Realism in the English Novel (Princeton, New Jersey, 1974), Ch. 3.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hannah More, Strictures on Female Education, in The Works of Hannah More, 18 vols ( London, 1818 ), Vol. VIII, Ch. xiv.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Eleanor L. Sewell (ed.) The Autobiography of Elizabeth M. Sewell (London, 1907).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Charlotte Elizabeth, Personal Recollections (London, 1841).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lawrence Stone, The Family, Sex and Marriage in England, 1500–1800 (London, 1977), pp. 666–7.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Sarah Lewis, Woman’s Mission, 2nd edn ( London, 1839 ), Chs 6–7.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Grace Aguilar, Home Influence: a tale for mothers and daughters 2 vols (London, 1847), p. vi

    Google Scholar 

  14. Anna Elizabeth Pendered, Remarks on Female Education, with an application of its principles to the regulation of schools (London, 1827)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Sydney Smith, ‘Female Education’, Edinburgh Review, xv (January 1810), 299–315.

    Google Scholar 

  16. (Richard Wright) ‘Letters on Women’, The Universalist’s Miscellany; or Philanthropist’s Museum. Intended chiefly as an antidote against the antichristian doctrine of endless misery. Vol. III (1799), Letter I, and Vol. iv, Letter v, pp. 109–12, especially.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Francis E. Mineka, The Dissidence of Dissent. The Monthly Repository, 1806–1838 ( Chapel Hill, N. Carolina, 1944 ), p. 158.

    Google Scholar 

  18. (Harriet Martineau), ‘Discipulus’, ‘On Female Education’, MR, XVIII (February 1823), 77–81.

    Google Scholar 

  19. W. B. Adams, ‘On the condition of women in England’, MR, vii (1833), 217–31

    Google Scholar 

  20. Mary Leman Grimstone, ‘Sketches of Domestic Life. No. vn The Insipid’, MR, second series, ix (1835), 645–53.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Anon., ‘Infant Education’, MR, second series, x (1836), 141–9.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Harriet Martineau, Household Education (London, 1849), pp. 240–5.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Margaret Mylne, ‘Woman and her social position’, Westminster Review, xxxv (January 1841), 28.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Grimstone, ‘Female Education’, NMW, I, No. 17 (21 February 1835 ).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Anon., ‘Walk of Ellen and mother in garden’, NMW, n, No. 75 (2 April 1836 ).

    Google Scholar 

  26. ‘Kate’ (Catherine Watkins), ‘The Love of Knowledge’, NMW, tv, No. 171 (3 February 1838 ).

    Google Scholar 

  27. J. G. Barmby, ‘Journal of a social mission to France’, NMW, VIII, No. 4 (25 July 1840 ).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Anne L. Kuhn, The Mother’s Role in Childhood Education: New England Concepts, 1830–60 (New Haven, 1947), p. 21

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bernard Wishy, The Child and the Republic. The Dawn of Modern American Child Nurture (Philadelphia,1972 edn), especially Part I.

    Google Scholar 

  30. N. Cott, The Bonds of Womanhood. ‘Woman’s Sphere’ in New England, 1780–1835 (New Haven, 1977), pp. 118.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Thomas Woody,.AHistory of Women’s-Education in the United States, 2 vols (1929; reprinted New York, 1974), Vol. I, p. 305.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Almira H. Phelps, ‘Remarks on the education of girls’, Godey’s Lady’s Book, Vol. 18 (June 1839), p. 253

    Google Scholar 

  33. Lydia Maria Child, The Mother’s Book (Boston, 1831), pp. 4–5.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Katherine Kish Sklar, Catherine Beecher. A Study in American Domesticity (New York, 1976 edn), pp. 75–6, 90–1.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Barbara Corrado Pope, ‘Maternal education in France, 1815–48’, Proceedings of theThird Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History, 4–6 December 1975 (Texas, 1976 )

    Google Scholar 

  36. Margaret H. Darrow, ‘French noblewomen and the new domesticity, 1750–1850’, Feminist Studies, 5 (Spring 1979), 41–65.

    Google Scholar 

  37. P. Rousselot, Histoire de l’éducation des femmes en France, 2 vols (Paris, 1883), Vol. II, pp.:374 ff..

    Google Scholar 

  38. H. C. Barnard, The French Tradition in Education. Ramus to Mme Necker de Sous sure (1922);reprinted Cambridge, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  39. D. Johnson, Guizot. Aspects of Political Philosophy, 1787–1874 (London, 1963), Chs. 2 and 3.

    Google Scholar 

  40. S. E. Grave, The Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense (Oxford, 1960 ).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Pauline Guizot, Lettres de famille sur l’éducation (Paris, 1861 edn), Vol. I, pp. 341–50, Vol. II, pp. 1–12ff.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Louis Aimé-Martin, The Education of Mothers of Families; or, the civilisation of the human race by women…, trans. Edwin Lee (London, 1842).

    Google Scholar 

  43. Louis Aimé-Martin, Education des mères de famille ou de la civilisation du genre humain par les femmes, fourth edn (Paris, 1843), Ch. xiv, pp. 102ff, and Ch. Xxn

    Google Scholar 

  44. E. Sullerot, Histoire de la Presse féminine en France des origines à 1848 (Paris, 1966), pp. 187–9.

    Google Scholar 

  45. M. Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Women (1791; Harmondsworth, 1982), pp. 261–93.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Priscilla Wakefield, Reflections on the Present Condition of the Female Sex; with suggestions for its improvement (London, 1798), pp. 49–53.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Ronald W. Hogeland, ‘Coeducation of the sexes at Oberlin College: a study of social ideas in mid-nineteenth century America’, Journal of Social History, 6 (1972–3), 160–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Lawrence Cremin, American Education. The National Experience, 1783–1876 (New York, 1980), pp. 144–7.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Maris A. Vinovskis and Richard M. Bernard, ‘Beyond Catherine Beecher: female education in the antebellum period’, Signs, 3 (1978), 856–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. J. Kamm, Hope Deferred. Girls’ Education in English History (London, 1965), pp. 136ff.

    Google Scholar 

  51. Carol Dyhouse, Girls Growing up in Late Victorian and Edwardian England (London, 1981), pp. 40–50.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Joyce Pedersen, ‘Schoolmistresses and headmistresses: elites and education in 19th century education’, Journal of British Studies, xv (1975), 136–62.

    Google Scholar 

  53. Anon., ‘On Female Education and Occupations’, MR, VII (1833), 489–91.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Grimstone, ‘Female Education’, MR, second series, ix (1835), 106–12

    Google Scholar 

  55. J. Killham, Tennyson and the Princess. Reflections of an Age (London, 1958 ), p. 51.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Anna Jameson, Characteristics of Women, Moral, Political and Historical (London, 1875; first published 1832), p. 37

    Google Scholar 

  57. R. Mudie, The Complete Governess. A course of mental instructions for ladies; with a notice of the principal female accomplishments (London, 1826 ), pp. 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  58. Mrs Hugo Reid, A Plea for Woman: being a vindication of the importance and extent of her natural sphere of action (Edinburgh, 1843), p. 8.

    Google Scholar 

  59. Anne Richelieu Lamb, Can Woman Regenerate Society? (London, 1844), p. 18

    Google Scholar 

  60. Elaine Kaye, A History of Queen’s College London, 1848–1972 (London, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  61. Asher Tropp, The School Teachers. The growth of the teaching profession in England from 1800 to the present day ( London, 1957 ), Ch. II

    Google Scholar 

  62. Phillip McCann and Francis A. Young, Samuel Wilderspin and the Education of the Poor (London, 1982), pp. 171ff.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Frances Widdowson, Going up into the nest class. Women and elementary teacher training, 1840–1914 (London, 1980), Sections I-II. Tropp, School Teachers pp. 22–4.

    Google Scholar 

  64. Lady Ellis, ‘The education of young ladies of small pecuniary resources for other occupations than that of teaching’, Central Society of Education, Second Publication, Papers… (London, 1838; reprinted Woburn Press, 1968 ). pp. 193–4.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Harriet Martineaù, ‘Female Industry’, Edinburgh Review, CIX (April 1859), 331.

    Google Scholar 

  66. John Duguid Milne, The Industrial and Social Position of Women in the Middle and Lower Ranks (London, 1857).

    Google Scholar 

  67. Anna Blackwell, ‘Elizabeth Blackwell’, EWJ, I (April 1858), 80–100

    Google Scholar 

  68. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell, ‘Medicine as a profession for women’, EWJ, V (May 1860), 145–60.

    Google Scholar 

  69. Jo Manton, Elizabeth Garret Anderson (New York, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

  70. Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon, ‘Middle Class Schools for Girls’, EWJ, vi (November 1860), 168–77.

    Google Scholar 

  71. Emily Davies, ‘Letters addressed to a daily paper at Newcastle upon Tyne, 1860’, in Thoughts on some Questions relating to Women (Cambridge, 1910 ).

    Google Scholar 

  72. Francoise Mayeur, L’Education des filles en France au XIA’e siècle (Paris, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

  73. P. Rousselot, Histoire de l’éducation des femmes en France, 2 vols (Paris, 1883 ), Vol. II, pp. 360–444.

    Google Scholar 

  74. R. D. Anderson, Education in France, 1848–70 (Oxford, 1970 ).

    Google Scholar 

  75. Edmée Charrier, L’évolution intellectuelle féminine. Le développement intellectuel de la femme. La femme dans le, profecdon., intellectuelles (Paris, 1937), Ch. II, Part 3.

    Google Scholar 

  76. James F. McMillan, Housewife or Harlot. The Place of Women in French Society, 1870–1940 (Brighton, 1981 ), p. 12

    Google Scholar 

  77. T. W. Laqueur, ‘Literacy and social mobility in the Industrial Revolution in England’, Past and Present, 64 (August 1974), 96–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. M. Sanderson, Education, Economic Change, and Society in England, 1780–1870 (London, 1983 ).

    Google Scholar 

  79. G. R. Porter, The Progress of the Nation…, 3 vols (London, 1843), Section V, pp. 278–81.

    Google Scholar 

  80. T. W. Laqueur, Religion and Respectability. Sunday Schools and Working Class Culture, 1780–1850, (New Haven, 1976), Chs. 1–2.

    Google Scholar 

  81. Phillip McCann, ‘Popular education, socialization and social control: Spitalfields, 1812–24’, in Phillip McCann (ed.), Popular Education and Socialization in the Nineteenth Century (London, 1977 ), p. 23.

    Google Scholar 

  82. Pamela Silver and Harold Silver, The Education of the Poor. The history of a National school, 1824–1974 (London, 1974), pp. 48–9.

    Google Scholar 

  83. Beryl Madoc Jones, ‘Patterns of attendance and their social significance: Mitcham National School, 1830–39’, in McCann (ed.), Popular Education and Socialization.

    Google Scholar 

  84. M. Sturt, The Education of the People. A history of primary education in England and Wales in the nineteenth century (London, 1967 ), p. 117.

    Google Scholar 

  85. J. M. Goldstrom, The Social Content of Education, 1808–70. A Study of the Working Class School Reader in England and Ireland (Shannon, 1972 ), p. 127n.

    Google Scholar 

  86. Caroline E. Martin, ‘Female Chartism: a study in politics’, MA Thesis, University of Wales (1973), p. 47.

    Google Scholar 

  87. B. Taylor, Eve and the New Jerusalem. Socialism and Feminism in the Nineteenth Century (London, 1983 ), p. 234.

    Google Scholar 

  88. Fanny Hertz, ‘Mechanics Institutes for Working Women, with special reference to the manufàcturing districts of Yorkshire’, Transactions of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science (1859), pp. 347–54.

    Google Scholar 

  89. Carolyn Steedman, The Tidy House, Little Girls Writing (London,1982), pp. 117–31.

    Google Scholar 

  90. Carl F. Kaestle and Maris A. Vinovskis, Education and Social Change in Nineteenth Century Massachusetts (Cambridge, 1980 ), pp. 25–6.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  91. Thomas W. Dublin, Women at Work. The Transformation of Work and Community in Lowell, Massachusetts, 1826–1860 (New York, 1979 ), pp. 178–80.

    Google Scholar 

  92. Julie Roy,Jeffrey, Frontier Women. The Trans-Mississippi West 1840–1880 (New York, 1979), pp. 87–94.

    Google Scholar 

  93. Vinovskis and Bernard, ‘Beyond Catherine Beecher’, Signs (1978), pp. 862–3.

    Google Scholar 

  94. Gerda Lerner, ‘Black and White Women in Interaction and Confrontation’, in The Majority Finds its Past. Placing Women in History (New York, 1979 ).

    Google Scholar 

  95. Angela Davis, Women, Race, and Class (London, 1981), Chs. 1–2

    Google Scholar 

  96. Suzanne Lebsock, ‘Feer Black Women and the Question of Matriarchy: Petersburg, Virginia, 1784–1820’, Feminist Studies, 8 (Summer 1982 ), 271–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  97. I. Berlin, Slaves without Masters. The Free Negro in the Antebellum South (New York, 1974), pp. 74–8,173–4,303–6.

    Google Scholar 

  98. James R. Lehning, The Peasants of Marlhes. Economic Development and Family Organisation in Nineteenth Century France (N. Carolina, 1980 ), pp. 154–9.

    Google Scholar 

  99. E. Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen. The Modernization of Rural France, 1870–1914 (London, 1977 ), p. 321.

    Google Scholar 

  100. P. Pierrard, La vie ouvrière à Lille. sous le Second Empire (Paris, 1965), pp. 313–37.

    Google Scholar 

  101. G. Duveau, La nie ouvrière en France sous le Second Empire (Paris, 1946), pp. 449f f.

    Google Scholar 

  102. Parkes, ‘The Profession of the Teacher’, EWJ, I (March 1858 ), 1–13

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Jane Rendall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 1985 Jane Rendall

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rendall, J. (1985). Educating Hearts and Minds. In: The Origins of Modern Feminism: Women in Britain, France and the United States 1780–1860. Themes in Comparative History. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-17733-2_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation