Mothering the Republic: Female Academy Curricula and the Moral Foundations of American Identity in the Early Republic

This museum is the final project for Dr. Kelly at Indiana University for Hist-T591 Research Seminar in Digital and Public History. This museum explores the importance of curriculum in female-led academies and how moral and civic instruction contributed to creating a national identity for the early republic. The exhibits in this museum pull from a wide range of primary and secondary sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of how education shaped the social and political ideals of the time. Through documents, letters, textbooks, and analyses, the museum highlights the pivotal role these materials and intuitions played in molding young women into active participants in the nation-building process. Research question: To what extent did the curricula and moral instruction in female-run academies serve as vehicles for promoting national identity, moral education, and civic virtue in the post-Revolutionary United States?

Website: http://www.motheringtherepublic.com