Assignment # 4

HIST-12070-004: US FORMATIVE PERIOD

Zara S Bhatti

What did society expect of antebellum southern women, black and white?
The antebellum Southern Society had various expectations from their women; both white
and black encompassing institutes of marriage, childbearing, education, work and religion.
They lived in a patriarchal society where they had little or no say even in their own state of
affairs.

In the southern antebellum society, women whether white or black did not yield much
power concerning their lives. Although the White women enjoyed the status of being a free
woman, the restrictions and limitations placed upon them pretty much rendered them helpless in
taking any life altering decisions. In general both the white and the black women had a lot in
common. They lived in a Patriarchal society where the males were in authority hence were
forced to make sacrifices and compromises on daily basis1. Their lives more or less revolved
around their families2, their time entirely devoted to them.
How a woman lived in the South back in those time heavily dependent on her social status, her
coloring and her race. If she was a white woman coming from a strong and rich background, then
automatically it was expected of her to be submissive, hardworking and dedicated to her family 3.
They were not allowed much room to express their feelings and usually channeled that through
charities, church work and on extreme cases through politics4. As for the black women, majority

1 Sally G. McMillen, Southern women Black and White in the Old South, Second Edition
(Harlan Davidson Inc. Wheeling, Illinois) Pg 2
2 McMillen, Pg 2
3. McMillen,Pg 2
4 McMillen, Pg 3

of them were slaves5 working at various plantations which was the spine of the economy of the
South that was agrarian6. These black slave women had stronger bonds between them compared
to their mistresses as they interacted with other slave women on daily basis 7 whereas the white
women were more or less spend most of their lives in isolation. However, history says that the
elite woman more or less preferred it that way as they were highly conscious of the social
stratification and preferred not to mingle with the slave women too much8.
In both the cases of white and black women, the society imposed a lot of restrictions and
expectations upon them that they were expected to meet in order not be considered social
outcasts. These weighed more heavily upon the respectable elite women than the slave women.
Both the black and white women had one thing in common; the family9. It was considered the
focal point of their live. The young women of the elite class were expected to find a suitable
husband as they came of age and bear him children 10. The slaves were not expected to marry (as
that was not considered legal at that time)11 but most of the plantation owners encouraged the
growth of family between slaves in order to inculcate the sense of belonging within them to
lessen the chances of running away12. However, despite the slaves having their own families, the

5 McMillen, Pg 4
6 McMillen, Pg 4-5
7 McMillen, Pg 7
8 McMillen, Pg 9
9 McMillen, Pg 13
10 McMillen, Pg 17
11 McMillen, Pg 35
12 McMillen, Pg 35

chances of the owner breaking it up in order to sell one of them to save his finances were much
higher resulting in white women having a more stable household13.
Although the slaves were considered properties of the owners, several white men used to
abuse their slaves subjecting them to sexual abuse 14, which sometimes resulted in illegitimate
children of mixed race called mulattos15. Such behavior did little or nothing to the marriage of
the man as the wife mostly overlooked such behavior for appearances sake, divorce was not an
acceptable notion16 and because it was common for owners to have sexual relations with his
slave women and not make it public knowledge 17. The slaves had little or no control over such
situations. Most of the times they were expected to produce children merely for the sake of
increasing the slave population on the plantation18 and for that studs were appointed by the
owners19.
A for White women, the institute of marriage was meant to be upheld under all costs as the state
of South Carolina in particular made it impossible to dissolve marriage 20. Most of the marriages
fell victim of alcoholism, adultery and insensitive behavior 21 resulting in the wives running away

13 McMillen, Pg 16
14 McMillen, Pg 25
15 McMillen, Pg 25-26
16 McMillen, Pg 27
17 McMillen, Pg 25-27
18 McMillen, Pg 36
19 McMillen, Pg 36
20 McMillen, Pg 43
21 McMillen, Pg 42

or succumbing to her husbands will22 but several revealed an affectionate nature as well23.
Whatever the scenario, the men had the final say in all the facets of his wifes life24.
Other than marriage, the women of the South were expected to bear children; black or white 25. A
woman being fertile was considered a blessing and the concept of motherhood was of a revered
nature in the South where families were the basis of economic and social structure 26. Several
women started carrying children as soon as they were married and in cases of black women as
soon as they reached maturity27.Women of the South were encouraged to have large families28 as
for a slave woman that becomes an asset later on29 and for white women they were the source of
companionship and a purpose to their otherwise isolated life 30. The only instances when the
family would consider controlling its expansion was if the women was too weak to carry or there
were economic constraints31 otherwise childbearing was considered one of womans greatest
achievement32. Unfortunately in the scenario of the slave women, they were expected to continue

22 McMillen, Pg 42
23 McMillen, Pg 42-43
24 McMillen, Pg 47
25 McMillen, Pg 57
26 McMillen, Pg 57
27 McMillen, Pg 57
28 McMillen, Pg 58
29 McMillen, Pg 58
30McMillen, Pg 58
31 McMillen, Pg 58
32 McMillen, Pg 59

their labor on the plantations and not waste time tending to their children 33. This was considered
particularly difficult for a mother to do who had an infant to take care of34.
As far as education was concerned, for the longest period southern women did not receive any
sort of education on a formal level35. It was later into the years that institutions opened up and
several white women and few free black women got the opportunity 36 otherwise, some were
fortunate enough to receive private tuition only37. An educated female in the family was
considered a plus point for the household 38.their intellect and educated status was casted a good
shadow upon the name of the family and their social standing 39. Moreover, the educational
institutions were considered ideal platforms for socializing with others of similar social status 40;
something that was highly expected of Southern young women. As far as the slave women were
concerned, their education was limited to what they learned from their parents and other white
children they played with in childhood41.
Southern women were a religious lot taking it extremely seriously. The black slave women
mostly attended churches because it was their way of escaping form the hardships of their daily
lives and get off the plantations as well42. Some of them hung to their ancient beliefs that they
33 McMillen, Pg 72
34 McMillen, Pg 73
35McMillen, Pg 90
36 McMillen, Pg 90
37 McMillen, Pg 90
38 McMillen, Pg 91
39 McMillen, Pg 91
40 McMillen, Pg 100
41 McMillen, Pg 102- 103
42 McMillen, Pg 114

followed in Africa if they remembered them43 whereas the others joined the church that appealed
to their nature44. In either case, religion was an important institute to them 45. This was one place
in their lives where they felt a little bit of freedom as the charges they usually brought before the
church were taken seriously46.
Work was the primary focus of the women of the South; both free and slaves. The free women
had a huge household to run demanding her attention concerning different areas ranging from
managing to training to arranging luncheons47. The working class white women worked with
their men side by side on their farms sometimes performing demanding and laborious tasks 48.
The slaves had to work in the plantations from sunrise to sunset, plucking, picking, harvesting
and so on49. Some were hired to carry out domestic chores as well filling up positions as kitchen
maids or cooks50. Unfortunately, most of the women used to spend away their whole lives
working without ever being recompensed or paid for their efforts. However, it was something the
society expected of them.
Concluding it all, Southern women irrespective of race, color and social status had great
expectations and limitations placed upon them that varied sometimes but at the same time
demanded full dedication and time from them. They were expected to act in a certain manner and

43 McMillen, Pg 114
44 McMillen, Pg 114
45 McMillen, Pg 114
46 McMillen, Pg 116
47 McMillen, Pg 119
48 McMillen, Pg 128
49 McMillen, Pg 122
50 McMillen, Pg 124

appear in certain ways in public which they rarely thought to deviate from as rebellious nature
was frowned upon in the southern society. It was male driven authority where the men were in
charge, a way of nature readily accepted by the women of all class who were considered the
secondary gender.

Bibliography
McMillen, Sally G. Southern women Black and White in the Old South, Second Edition, Harlan
Davidson Inc. Wheeling, Illinois.