Women, the Civil War, and the "Sphere of Domesticity"

                During the Civil War, many women chose to act outside the "Sphere of Domesticity" while others chose to stay within traditional gender roles.  Many women like Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix, and Louisa May Alcott, acted outside the sphere by performing medical and nursing jobs.  They wanted to help others and nurse for a career.  While nursing soldiers was not necessarily outside the sphere, these women, however often took leadership roles.  Dorothea Dix was in charge of all the female nurses and was in charge of the male doctors in Washington DC.  Clara Barton also took on a leadership role and founded the Red Cross.  Louisa May Alcott was considered to be acting outside the sphere by being a young, single, attractive woman nursing male soldiers.  Other women wanted to be involved in the war so they acted outside the sphere by serving in the war in combat disguised as men.  There were other women like Belle Boyd and Rose O'Neal Greenhow who during the war clearly acted outside traditional gender roles by acting as spies, transferring secrets, documents, and money.  By acting as spies they got to contribute to the warfront as well as receive the satisfaction and thrill of the work they did.  Another woman, Martha Coston, acted outside the sphere by helping to finish her husband's work when he died.  She finished designing chemical flairs that would eventually be used by the navy.  Many women acted outside the sphere because their husbands were away at war and there was no one else to balance the budgets and run the communities.  There were also women upset with the government, and they wanted to show their discontent with the Union by throwing human waste at soldiers and wearing Confederate colors.  General Butler issued a Woman's Order to stop these actions by saying if women mistreated soldiers the public would not treat them as ladies.  Finally, Harriet Jacobs acted outside the sphere but for very different reasons.  She was in charge of helping slave refugees when slaves escaped to the north.  She herself was a runaway slave and she acted outside the sphere as a leader to enlighten people on how terrible slavery was.

Quilt Square to Represent Belle Boyd

                There were still women, however at the time of the Civil War that chose to act inside the "Sphere of Domesticity".  Even though Dorothea Dix was outside the sphere because she was in charge of all the nurses and doctors in Washington DC she wanted women to dress conservatively and focus on their jobs.  She was very strict and in this regard remained in the sphere.  Alice Chapin was another woman who remained in the sphere.  She was upset her husband left her to enlist in the army.  She was poor because she stayed in the sphere and refused to take a job.  She tried to help him and her sons at war by sending care packages.  She wanted to better society which was still considered inside the sphere, so she joined many charitable causes and became the president of a local Ladies' Temperance League.  There were many other women who also wanted to just help soldiers by sending care packages or working for charities.  Life changed for most women during the Civil War, and some had reasons to act outside the “Sphere of Domesticity”, while some had motivations to continue to act inside the sphere.

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Giesberg Judith, “Ms. Dix Comes to Washington,” The New York Times Opinionator, April 27, 2011, 9:50 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yUH6y_/14b38123c6927cb53745a49013852ec4/Reading_1_-_Dorothea_Dix.pdf.

Korb Scott, “Harriet Jacob’s First Assignment,” Disunion, September 6, 2012, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCiV_/875ff05b39a908fd3745a49013852ec4/Reading_10_-_Harriet_Jacobs_Schools_Orphans.pdf.

Long Alecia P., “General Butler and the Women,” June 18, 2012 4:22 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCix_/d9a0bce6b8829a113745a49013852ec4/Reading_11_-_Butlers_Woman_Order.pdf.

Abbot Karen, “The ‘Siren of Shenandoah,’” The New York Times Opinionator, May 23, 2012, 12 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCjL_/e9ae2628efcd0d933745a49013852ec4/Reading_12_-_Belle_Boyd.pdf.

Stiehm Jamie, “Compassion Under Fire,” The New York Times Opinionator, December 9, 2011, 9:31 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCXB_/c3cc7284f71d03423745a49013852ec4/Reading_2_-_Clara_Barton.pdf.

Etcheson Nicole, “When the Men Went to War,” The New York Times Opinionator, July 19, 2012, 12:30 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCfS_/fd63455f0f62be353745a49013852ec4/Reading_3_-_Alice_Chapin.pdf.

Lineberry Cate, “The Wild Rose of Washington,” The New York Times Opinionator, August 22, 2011, 9:30 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCfp_/376e7105a369d63d3745a49013852ec4/Reading_4_-_Rose_ONeal_Greenhow.pdf.

Reisen Harriet, “Louisa’s Civil War”, Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, From Chapter Eleven: I’ve Often Longed to See a War, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCgF_/2b04337005809a963745a49013852ec4/Reading_5_-_Louisa_May_Alcott.pdf.

Korb Scott M., “Harriet Jacob’s War,” The New York Times Opinionator, February 20, 2013, 12:11 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCgf_/5eeebb564db776e73745a49013852ec4/Reading_6_-_Harriet_Jacobs_Refugees.pdf.

Wajda Shirley, “Mobilizing the Home Front,” The New York Times Opinionator, October 13, 2012, 3:30 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTChA_/983f4df8ab89cd973745a49013852ec4/Reading_7_-_Mobilizing_Homefront.pdf.

Larson C. Kay, “A Woman with Flare,” The New York Times Opinionator, November 2, 2012, 9:30 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTChb_/c0e83da39886ea863745a49013852ec4/Reading_8_-_Martha_Coston.pdf.

Larson C. Kay, “Women at War,” Opinionator, Exclusive Community From The Times, Disuion, August 5, 2012, 8:30 PM, http://www.edline.net/files/_yTCh3_/e1b307110c70f6fb3745a49013852ec4/Reading_9_-_Women_Soldiers.pdf.