What Is The Central Idea Of The Plantation Mistresses By Catherine Clinton

If given the choice to be a slave, a white woman, or a white man throughout the pre-civil war era, a white man would always end up being the common choice. Catherine Clinton delved into the oppression of women in the 19th century, which was often overlooked in history, throughout her book: The Plantation Mistresses: Woman’s World in the Old South. From the role of religion, to the importance of the family circle, and even the examination of moral standards, Clinton pointed out that in every aspect of Old South living, a woman’s status always fell beneath that of a man’s. Throughout her book, Catherine Clinton brought forth an argument of a biracial salve society that had never been mentioned before; through the use of personal accounts written

It was an interesting read despite being written similarly to a textbook. At first glance I thought the book was going to be written more like a novel based on true facts; however, despite the rather dull data, Clinton’s book opened my eyes to a whole new part of history. This book challenged previous ideas put forth in history textbooks about how plantation life in the south was all anyone could dream of. First, was the author’s point about the rough times the women would go through and their dependence on family. Throughout a women’s life, her ultimate job was to uphold the household. This included responsibility over the children, slaves, property, and of course their husband. With such high expectations, newlywed life became difficult for these young women, who at an average were only twenty. “Most young plantation mistresses depended upon their female relatives…rescued many a young housekeeper from dreadful straits” (25). Being able to maintain these relationships allowed the new mistresses a support system that was lacking at the time. Since, their oppression was not widely known, or acknowledged, the personal accounts Catherine Clinton included, truly described how these women felt with all this responsibility on their shoulders. It was my first impression, that plantations had slaves who would take care of all the cooking, cleaning, and childcare

This book would be an important addition to history classes since most focus on the oppression of the slaves, but most did not realize that the subjugation went further up the chain of command. Most people believed that women in the south had the perfect lives, living in a charming mansion, with the perfect husband, and slaves to complete all her chores. By recommending this book to others, their eyes will be opened to a piece of history that has been lost, it contributes everything one would need to know the extent of the situation, leaving nothing to the