We believe that each woman we chose was able to relate to the ideals of true womanhood. They either stayed true to the ideals, or completely went against them. In this presentation we will discuss each woman’s life, and the accomplishments they made to make them relevant even to this day.

True Womanhood

Eleanor Roosevelt broke an earlier cardinal woman rule, which was to never speak your opinions about religion. Anne Hutchinson, learned that the hard way.

Eleanor did not think that Catholic schools should receive any kind of state funding, and had a long standing public feud with a particular priest in the Catholic church. (Youngs, 2000)

Ideal #1: Piety

Eleanor was married at the age of 19 to her fifth cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt.

It was a rocky marriage, with a few rumored transgressions on Franklin’s part, but the two were a strong couple.

Ideal #2: Purity

There are many words to describe Eleanor Roosevelt, and submissive is not one of them.

She wanted to see change with woman’s rights as well as civil rights. She fought hard on both accounts to see that change was made, and went against many people.

She held women only press conferences and wrote a weekly newspaper article directed towards women.

Her actions were frowned upon by many, particularly men, but that never deterred her.

Ideal # 3: Submissiveness

Eleanor was also not a domestic woman. Although she had children, she was not one to

stay home and clean the house. Eleanor traveled all over the world spreading

the word of the New Deal plan for her husband because she felt passionate about the cause.

Even after her husband’s death she was still a prominent speaker, politician, author and activist. She was also a delegate for the U.N. General Assembly, and fought for human rights up until the end (Macleish, 1975).

Ideal #4: Domesticity

Piety

Good and faithful to her love of soccer

Started playing professional soccer at the age of 15

Not what a normal female teenager was doing in her society

Youngest member in history at 19 to win the World Cup

Purity

Mia waited to have kids until after her soccer career and was 35 years old.

Mia Hamm was previously married to her college sweetheart, Christian Corry, in 1994 and then divorced in 2001.

Submissive

Mia Hamm started the Mia Hamm Foundation for funding for more women’s sports and activities, but also for cord blood transplants and bone marrow transfusions. Her brother, Garrett, died of complications with aplastic anemia. Mia Hamm is signed up to be a bone marrow donor to honor her brother.

The U.S. winning the World Cup opened a lot of doors for women’s sports and the team was looked up to by all younger women. Mia Hamm is the leading scorer for both men and women in professional games.

Domesticity

Harriet Tubman sacrificed her life for years to accomplish 13 expeditions through the Underground Railroad for the freedom of approximately 70 slaves.

Aided in providing instructions for the escape of 50-60 additional slaves.

Through history, she was recognized as “Moses” because like he led the Hebrews to freedom, she was accomplishing the same with African slaves from the Southern states.

She was the first woman to lead an arm assault during the Civil War.

She was an active participant in the Women’s Suffrage Movement.

Piety

Remained loyal to the slave community, even when she had reached her freedom she did not forsake “her people”.

Maintained a humble and compassionate heart towards the people in the South even after her success in the Northern states and involvement with important people like the abolitionist John Brown (who advocated to end slavery).

Purity

She submitted herself to slavery at the age of 6 for the years to follow until she planned her escape at the age of 29.

After her escape she gave herself wholly to the community of the slaves, returning to the land of her enslavement, something very few slaves did.

Dedicated her life to fight for a just treatment for others: slaves, women suffering and their children, and the wounded during the Civil War.

Submissiveness:

In 1844 she married John Tubman, a free African man; a marriage complicated marriage.

After reaching her freedom she risked her life for the freedom of her niece & her two children in December 1850.

The following spring Tubman returned back to the South to aid her three brothers, their wives, and their children to freedom.

Upon her last missions she led her mother and father to freedom.

The remaining years after her rescue missions she dedicated herself to caring for her elder parents and those in need.

Harriet married Nelson Davis, a Civil War veteran 22 years younger than her.

In 1874 the adopted a baby girl named Gertie.

Domesticity

Rosa Parks was faithful to her family and society.

She cared for her home. She cared for her people who were going

through the same problems she was going through.

piety

Rosa Parks got married when she was 20. She had no children of her own, but she was

the mother of the civil rights movement.

Purity

Rosa parks was submissive to her family and her people but not to discrimination and inequality.

Submissive

Rosa parks was very well educated for a black women in that time period

She was a civil right activist.

She worked many jobs out of her house.

She broke the rules to make new ones.

Domesticity

Eunice Kennedy Shriver:Piety

One point of True Womanhood was Piety, Shriver represented this idea.

Shriver was raised with Catholic beliefs.

Her religious beliefs strongly influenced her fight for equal rights and opportunities of individuals of all abilities.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver:Purity

Purity within the idea of True Womanhood meant that a woman kept her purity until properly wed. It was the greatest gift a woman could give to her husband.

Kennedy was married at a young age and later had five children.

Ideas of Purity had greatly changed by this time, but judging by Shriver’s religion, social upbringing, and marriage, she upheld the idea of Purity in a modern version of True Womanhood.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver:Submissiveness

Through the idea of Submissiveness a woman was supposed to be a passive bystander. Not to be the one of action, but the one of support to men.

Shriver was not a woman of Submissiveness.

She strongly believed in equal opportunities for anyone of any ability and mental capability.

Through these beliefs she took action by creating firstly, Camp Shriver where children of mental disabilities were able to participate in sporting events, and secondly the Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics was the first international event to allow people of disabilities to compete.

She was the leader in creating a program that enhanced and improved the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities

Eunice Kennedy Shriver:Domesticity

A Woman's place was in the home. She was to be busy with morally uplifting tasks aimed at maintaining and fulfilling her piety and purity.

Shriver did not find her place in the home. She found it out in the world making an influence on all those around her.

She was greatly awarded for all of her works for the bettering of the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.

Though through her efforts she was able to uphold piety and purity, she was able to take action upon these beliefs and make something great.

These actions were not those that would have been allowed to a woman exposed to the early idea of True Womanhood.

Shriver did not represent the idea of True Womanhood in its definition sense, but she did however represent a modern and much improved version of the phrase.

All of the women we chose went against the normal “true womanhood” ideals of their time. They were trendsetters and are

looked up to today for their accomplishments. They will be remembered for many generations to come.

True Womanhood: Past and Present

Today:• Independent • Educated • Hard Working• Able to Follow Their Dreams

Past:• Submissive• Purity• Piety• Domesticity

MacLeish, A. The Eleanor Roosevelt Story. Boston, Massachusetts : First Printing R, 1965.

Youngs, W. J. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life. Hyde Park, New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000.

Works Cited: Eleanor Roosevelt

Citation:Mia Hammhttp://thinkwinemarketing.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/mia.jpg

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffarth/37369222.jpg

http://www.soc.duke.edu/~s142tm17/imagesfoot/Mia%20Hamm.jpg

http://info.specialolympics.org/NR/rdonlyres/ebxjhwsrui5tyv6swmuufd6mtmqp5fjz2mppgytibnb4vpybnwu6e42w5d747mkjogtolqtcvcqcfmnb7da5fumzrsd/hamm_teamgold.jpg

Citation: Rosa Parks

1- Rosa Parks, October 27, 2005. http://archwords.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_archive.html

2- Mississippi State University, December 10, 2009 http://library.msstate.edu/rosaparks.asp