American History on the Web: Emergence of Middle-Class Women

Read Chapter 3 of Women and the American Experience. Then, read the section of http://www.fayettenam.com/history/making6.html about female sexuality and interactions with men (chapters 6-8 of "The Making of a Middle-Class Lady").

1		How did the emergence of a "woman's sphere" affect marital relations in the early 19th-century? How did this then influence premarital attitudes toward the opposite sex and the development of romantic relationships?
2		What did middle-class women's style of clothing and daily responsibilities say about their status in society? Compare women's status in the 19th-century to their status in the previous century.