Lecture 5

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Lecture 5 6 Wilson (Ch5-7) Friedan (Ch1-3)

• April 30, 2008

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Wilsons The Marriage Problem(1)

• Slavery
• Controversy in the 1970s
• Time on the Cross by Fogels and Engerman
• Herbert Gutmans study
• Roll, Jordan, Roll by Eugene D. Genovese
• Wilsons criticism on the literature

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Wilsons The Marriage Problem(2)

• Freedom of choice in choosing a spouse (19C)
• Wilson Arranged marriage was rare
• English Common Law required individual consent.
• Ways to force a marriage
• No interracial marriages

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Friedans The Feminine Mystique(1)

• A classic / sensational
• What is the problem with no name?
• Why was suburban housewifery unsatisfying?
• Success as a housewife is hard to measure
• Failure is easier to notice
• Friedans class and racial background
• What does she neglect?

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Friedans The Feminine Mystique(2)

• Coverture
• Commentaries on the Laws of England in 18C By
  marriage, the husband and wife are one person in
  law that is, the very being or legal existence
  of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or
  at least incorporated and consolidated into that
  of the husband
• Womens property rights controlled by husband

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And Now?
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Midterm Tips

• Essay (3-4 pages/blue book)
• Legible handwriting!
• Thesis
• Evidence (concrete examples)
• Organization (Introduction / Conclusion)
• IDs (3-4 sentences)
• What it is (whose idea it is, definition)
• Why it is important/problematic