Cultural Changes of the Market Revolution (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Immigrants often experienced discrimination when they tried to enter the US workforce. Prejudice was high towards Irish, Jewish, and Catholic immigrants. Upper and middle-class women also faced pressure to submit to an unequal role in American society.

Religion & “Cult of Domesticity”

Religion 

• There were high numbers of Jewish and Catholic immigrants to the US during the 1830s−1840s 

• This led to anti-immigration sentiment which:

  • was fueled by nativism, which favored native-born Americans and Protestants over immigrants and minority religions

  • viewed Protestantism as more “acceptable”, while

    • Jewish people were accused of being greedy, underhanded, and unfair in business

    • Catholics were viewed as threats to American democracy, accused of wanting to overturn the American way of life and set up a country that obeyed the Pope in Rome 

  • led to Irish immigrants being faced with “No Irish Need Apply” adverts

    • These appeared in newspapers and on signs across the country

    • Most Irish immigrants were Catholic

“Cult of Domesticity” 

• The patriarchy promoted the idea that upper- and middle-class women were only supposed to raise children and create a restful household for their husbands

  • Books and magazines perpetuated and promoted this line of thinking

  • This was referred to as the “Cult of Domesticity”

• It was thought that women should remain in the private sphere (the home) and stay out of the public sphere (work)

  • The two spheres were separate and did not cross or overlap

• The four cardinal virtues of women were:

  • piety: women are religious

  • purity: women do not have sexual intercourse until marriage and remain faithful to their husbands during marriage

  • domesticity: women always cook, clean, and tend to other matters in the home

  • submission: women are obedient to men and accept that they are also inferior to men