Essay 84: “Education Of Girls In The United States” & “How The Girl Can Be Seen Beneath The Features Of The Wife” (Vol. 2 Pt. 3 Chs. 9 & 10)
Essay Read by Constituting America Founder, Actress Janine Turner
The essays in our study reference the following edition of Democracy In America: University of Chicago Press – 1st edition translated by Harvey Mansfield and Delba Winthrop. Today’s essay references pages 563 (start at chapter 9 heading) – 567 (stop at chapter 11 heading) of this edition of Democracy in America.
Nearing the end of his brilliant study of American democracy, in which De Tocqueville has shared an account of the many strengths of American democracy and its national character, De Tocqueville tells his readers that if they want to know which factor most accounts for America’s success, for its “singular prosperity and growing force of this people, I would answer that it is to the superiority of its women.” De Tocqueville’s acknowledgment of women as the source of America’s strength may come as a surprise. How could women – who back in the 1830s were not considered citizens, and were not allowed to hold jobs, speak in public meetings, inherit property, or go to college, be the decisive factor explaining the flourishing of America?
De Tocqueville’s praise of American women needs to be considered within the context of his political science. De Tocqueville thought that America was such a successful democracy chiefly because of its unique ‘mores’ which he defines as “habits of the heart.” (275) Mores are the habits and practices that constitute American culture – how Americans think, feel, and interact not only with each other but with the rest of the world. The mores De Tocqueville observed in the US – its religiosity, innovation, strong marriages, enterprise, high levels of civic engagement, and overall freedom-loving disposition – served to stabilize America’s democratic polity. But where did these mores come from? De Tocqueville stressed that in the United States they are cultivated primarily by women: “There have never been free societies without mores, and…it is woman who makes these mores. Therefore, all that influences the condition of women, their habits, and their opinions has great political interest in my eyes.”
Education of Girls
So, while women in America were not on the frontlines of politics (they would have to wait until 1920 for the 19th Amendment to give them the right to vote), they played a huge role behind the scenes in supporting American political institutions. The historian Linda Kerber coined the phrase, “republican motherhood” to capture the political role women played in cultivating civic virtue in the early years of America. Kerber called the family “the fourth political branch” for the important role women played in shaping citizens.
De Tocqueville believed women’s role of shaping mores was so central to the success of American democracy that he devoted separate chapters in his book to their education and to their roles as wives. In contrast, De Tocqueville does not devote an entire chapter to the education of boys or to their roles as husbands.
It’s important to keep in mind that in nineteenth-century America the democratic revolution was unravelling the customs and traditions that once served as the cornerstones of civilized society. De Tocqueville observes that Americans appreciate that the aristocratic safeguards governing courtship between men and women have been weakened. Parental authority is weaker too. The erosion of these former protections creates “perils” towards women in particular. Thus, Americans have decided rather than try to “cloister” the American girl, as the French do, it is better to give her freedom to see the world and an education that will strengthen her reasoning powers so that she can navigate her own freedom. This education starts early and is gradual. Before she hits adolescence, she already “thinks for herself, speaks freely, and acts alone.” The education she receives equips her with “a precocious knowledge of all things” and does not seek to hide “the corruptions of the world” from her. The American girl looks firmly upon the world and goes out into it, armed with reasoning powers and “confidence in her own strength” to protect herself “from the perils with which the institutions and mores of democracy surround her.”
The American Wife
The striking aspect of the American girl’s education is the amount of freedom with which she is entrusted. Her parents’ home is one of “freedom and pleasure,” De Tocqueville writes. Yet this carefree, independent girl becomes a different creature as a wife. The independent spirited young girl marries and becomes a submissive helpmeet, limiting herself to the chores and responsibilities of the domestic sphere. De Tocqueville argues that this is not a contradiction – that the education she had as a young girl prepares her for her role as wife in large part because she is aware of the perils of freedom and the role she must play in building and safeguarding the future. The future of America is moving westward, and American women, because of their early education, possess an “internal force” and the “courage” to face any hardship that may arise. (see also Tocqueville’s important note, 699-701). The sacrifices women make in an age of individualism and freedom stand out all the more for De Tocqueville. De Tocqueville reminds us that America’s greatness rests as much on, if not more, on American women as it does on their enterprising husbands. Since the time De Tocqueville wrote, much has changed, and women are no longer limited to the domestic sphere. But this also raises the question of who is shaping the mores that De Tocqueville believed were necessary for the perpetuation of American democracy.
Dr. Dorothea Wolfson is the Program Director and a senior lecturer for the Masters in Government program at Johns Hopkins University. Her research and teaching interests center on democracy and civic engagement, American political thought, and family policy. Dr. Wolfson has published articles on Alexis de Tocqueville, Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, John Locke, and children’s literature. She has collaborated on a book, Our Sacred Honor, with William J. Bennett, and her essays and reviews have appeared in The Claremont Review of Books, The American Interest, and Perspectives on Political Science. Dr.
Wolfson has taught at Johns Hopkins University since 1995. She also serves as a thesis adviser.
Before joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Wolfson was a policy analyst at Empower America. Dr. Wolfson holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago and a PhD in government from Cornell University.
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Hello! I’m Janine Turner, founder of Constituting America!
“De Tocqueville reminds us that America’s greatness rests as much on, if not more, on American women as it does on their enterprising husbands. Since the time De Tocqueville wrote, much has changed, and women are no longer limited to the domestic sphere. But this also raises the question of who is shaping the mores that De Tocqueville believed were necessary for the perpetuation of American democracy.”
I believe reading Dr Wolfson’s entire essay builds to a deeper understanding of this quote I’ve highlighted. De Tocqueville speaks at length about the spunky young American girls of the 1830, who then marry and become subservient; but, they have the planted seeds of spunk, freedom, and civic duty which they pass on to their children. These expressions lead to the quote above. With women no longer at home raising the children, (I was certainly a working, independent mother,) who is raising our children? Who is teaching them ideals? I had my daughter with me for my career opportunities, and though I worked, I made sure I taught my daughter my virtues or mores. But, is America at risk with so much technology? It seems that today social media is the mother and the ‘influencer.’ I find this frightening and have felt its influences.
Have you?