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Difficulty: MediumMarket Revolution: Social and Demographic Changes

“The Americans have applied to the relations of the sexes the great principle of political economy which governs the manufactures of our age, by carefully dividing the duties of man from those of woman, in order that the great work of society may be better carried on.��

— Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, 1840

The social developments described in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following historical transformations during the early nineteenth century?

  1. The emergence of a new middle-class ideology that separated the home as a moral sanctuary from the public world of workAnswer
  2. B
    A decline in the reliance on female and youth labor in northern manufacturing centers
  3. C
    The passage of federal legislation that guaranteed equal legal and economic status for married women
  4. D
    The rapid mechanization of household textile production in the agrarian South

Answer

The emergence of a new middle-class ideology that separated the home as a moral sanctuary from the public world of work
The correct answer is correct because de Tocqueville is describing the 'separate spheres' ideology, which arose during the Market Revolution as a result of the separation of the workplace from the home. For the emerging middle class, the home became idealized as a moral, domestic sanctuary managed by women, while the public sphere of politics and commerce was the domain of men.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document by Alexis de Tocqueville.
De Tocqueville observes that Americans applied the economic principle of the 'division of labor' to gender roles, dividing the duties of men and women.
Understanding the core argument of the stimulus is essential to connecting it to historical developments.
2
Relate the stimulus to the social impacts of the Market Revolution.
As production shifted from the home to the factory, the domestic and public spheres became separated. Men increasingly worked outside the home, while middle-class women were expected to manage the home and family.
This links the economic changes of the Market Revolution to the social ideology of 'separate spheres' or the 'cult of domesticity'.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the statement that best aligns with these historical developments.
The option describing the emergence of a new middle-class ideology that separated the home from the public world of work matches the 'separate spheres' concept described in the text.
It correctly identifies the ideological result of the separation of home and workplace for the middle class.

Key Concept

Market Revolution: Social and Demographic Changes
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Market Revolution: Social and Demographic Changes

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