#Founding Mothers

[on-partiality]

The best of wives and best of women ♥︎★~

[pub-lius]

Hey, so recently I saw a post about the misogyny of hamilton, so I wanted to ask you if it was true. Not the part of misogyny (because in that time it was normal, I guess), but rather how much was? (does make sense?), did it affect the relationship with eliza or with her daughters?

Thankyu!!! (Muak)

hm okay so im not completely sure what you mean but i am going to do my darndest

So, in the time period which Hamilton was alive, which is the latter half of the 18th century, there definitely was a profound attitude of misogyny, but it was very different from what we know today. Most of our idea of sexism comes from the religious revivals of the 20th century (and people who know me know how i feel about the godforsaken 20th century when it comes to history). This is yk your typical idea of a housewife being at home, taking on the burdens of homemaking and child rearing and basically keeping everything together at home while the husband worked a stressful 9 to 5 and didn't do shit at home and weaponized incompetence and implicit biases and yadayada

This was not the case in the 18th century! 18th century gender roles are very different from what we're used to, and even more different than what the Victorians and Edwardians considered the norm. This is especially visible in Hamilton's relationship with women, so I'm quite excited to talk about this.

Firstly, I want to talk about the joker to my batman: Ron Chernow. A major theory he supports in his biography of Hamilton is the two sided nature of Hamilton's perception of women. He says that there is a clear distinction between two "types" of women in Hamilton's wife-- the good, Christian mistress of the house and the stupid, mentally unstable skank. These are his terms. I want to hit him in the head with a brick.

"Together, the two eldest [Schuyler] sisters formed a composite portrait of Hamilton's ideal woman, each appealing to a different facet of his personality. Eliza reflected Hamilton's earnest sense of purpose, determination, and moral rectitude, while Angelica exhibited his worldly side- the wit, charm, and vivacity that so delighted people in social intercourse." -Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton, page 133

Yeah, this is horseshit. It gets worse when he compares Elizabeth Hamilton and Maria Reynolds on page 367, but I'm not going to get started because I won't stop. And this isn't about him anyway.

Instead, I want to talk about WHY this is horseshit. First of all, even Alexander "thinks with the wrong head" Hamilton didn't have this fucked up mindset, because it is heavily based in 20th century evangelicalism that didn't even exist in Hamilton's world.

Yes, obviously there was religious attitudes that condemned certain actions from women, but this was not as intense as in later periods. In the 18th century, an upperclass woman, such as Elizabeth Hamilton, would be responsible for maintaining the household, but this meant being in charge of the servants rather than doing the work herself. The work she did do would be maintaining the finances and the family's reputation.

Reputation was everything in the 18th century, and this especially applied to women. Not only did they have to maintain their own reputations, but they had to raise their children to have the skills necessary to do the same, and often had to fill in for their husbands in this department if they held public office. It's very difficult to maintain your reputation if you're beating people with walking sticks in the Continental Congress.

When it came to lower and middle class women, their jobs weren't different in that they carried an equally important role in the family. They would be doing household chores just as well as their husband, and these weren't easy chores that made women "feeble". They very often took a lot of physical strength and endurance, and it wasn't considered unladylike for women to do "men's" chores while their husbands were away. This isn't to say that women in later eras didn't do the same, but it wasn't as publicly frowned upon.

Hamilton had a very unique perspective as he was witness to both sides of this coin. His mother, a single, working class mother would be juggling both the man and woman's role. I think it was really this background that allowed him to have a much more informed perspective on womanhood. He was one of the few men in this period that I've seen write from the perspective of a woman, specifically a grieving mother.

"For the sweet babe, my doting heart Did all a mother's fondness feel; Careful to act each tender part And guard from every threatening evil. But what alas! availed my care? The unrelenting hand of death, Regardless of a parent's prayer Has stopped my lovely infant's breath-" -Papers of Alexander Hamilton, volume 1, page 43.

Chernow attributes this to Hamilton's deeply empathetic nature, which is fair, however I think it also shows that he was able to understand a woman's experience specifically.

I say this because Hamilton does tell us a little bit about exactly what was expected of women in the time during Elizabeth's first pregnancy in a letter that is usually used to call him a sexist, but I think it's a little more complex than that. Here's the excerpt:

"You shall engage shortly to present me with a boy. You will ask me if a girl will not answer the purpose. By no means. I fear, with all the mothers charms, she may inherit the caprices of her father and then she will enslave, tantalize and plague one half [the] sex, out of pure regard to which I protest against a daughter. So far from extenuating your offence this would be an aggravation of it." -Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Hamilton, October 12, 1781

In this letter, Hamilton isn't telling Elizabeth that he wants a boy to inherit his fortune, to carry on his name, or the other reasons that were given by his contemporaries for preferring sons over daughters. He specifically states that his reasons are his fear that his traits will be passed onto his children, and that if its a daughter, she will be more discriminated against than his son because of her sex. Essentially, it was easier to be a gay son in the 18th century than a thot daughter. In that question, Hamilton would choose gay son because he knew that men were generally less criticized than women.

So, I'm not saying Hamilton wasn't sexist, because, by definition, he was. He was taught that women were fundamentally different than men, but he didn't look down on women for that, because that simply wasn't normal. You wouldn't be a gentleman if you looked down on a woman for being physically and psychologically different from a man, you'd be an asshole. While their interpretations of these differences don't align with what modern medicine has determined, they weren't the same as in the later eras in American history. Women were, most certainly, oppressed because of these perceived differences, but it was a different system of oppression than what typically defines our idea of sexism.

It's hard to say if it affected Hamilton's relationship with his wife and daughters, as there isn't any real written proof, but I imagine Hamilton's attitude specifically towards women did make their relationship different than other fathers, daughters, husbands, and wives of the time. We do know that Hamilton was a very hands on father who dedicated a lot of time and care towards his children, and he did not treat his daughters any differently than his sons. He put the same amount of energy into their education, though they weren't educated in the same thing, and he seemed to be equally close with all his children.

Hamilton and women is a very interesting topic, and it gets more complicated when it comes to Rachel Faucette and Maria Reynolds and those parallels, but that is a topic for another time. Good thing its women's history month! Hope this helped :)

[hasu-ko]

My founding mothers, I love them so much

[natandwandaseries]

Everyone needs to get on the Abigail Adams train. I know Susan B Anthony is problematic- go with Abigail Adams instead.

She tried to get women the right to vote while the constitution was being written (she has a famous quote, “Remember the ladies”, below the cut), was against slavery and advocated for abolition, supported women’s education, referred to the family property as ‘hers’ not her husband’s, extremely outspoken for the time (earning the nickname Mrs. President), and was thought to be one of the most well-read women in America at the time.

Below, is a quote from her letter to her husband, John Adams, on March 31, 1776

“In the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” -Abigail Adams

[empirearchives]

Apparently there’s a biopic in the works about Napoleon’s American sister-in-law, Betsy Patterson Bonaparte.

She was the first wife of Jerome Bonaparte. I’m really curious about this. There’s definitely some drama in Betsy’s story during her time as Jerome’s wife. If they end up making this, I’m sure Napoleon will be in it! (Btw, Betsy and Jerome’s descendants end up becoming very important American figures. One of them was the creator of the FBI)

This is Betsy (left) and Jerome (right):

[hiidkwhatimdoing7525]

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

here’s one of my favorite articles on queer founding fathers and mothers from ADVOCATE. It’s amazing and you should read it

[tragicc]

[starrysharks]

ghanaian miku

[creativriot]

Idk some fun idea I came up with simply because they’re both ~gween~

EDIT: for everyone asking “what about Sonia?” I don’t know this was just a doodle I didn’t think I’d get this far 😭

[floccinaucinihilipilificationa]

[drenched-in-sunlight]

i will raise hell to the bitter end.

I don’t think Messmer visits the jar clinic in his Keep often… they remind him too much of his Mother.

Btw, he wears a golden ring on the middle finger of his left hand…

in Palmistry, that indicates responsibility, balance, justice. usually it’s sth the head of the family wear, but no other characters wear sth like that. he’s truly the sole heir to all of Marika’s happiness & all of her pain.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 271

“Grandmother is visiting,” Damian suddenly said with no warning and with his usual not-quite demanding tone. 

“Who?” Tim wasn’t the only one to startle, seeing as Bruce had practically froze, a downturn to his lips in a silent show of confusion. 

Damian scowled. “Are you deaf Drake? Grandmother is coming to Gotham to, quote, make sure I am being properly cared for.” None of them had known that Ras was with anyone actually. At least Tim was pretty sure that would have been in the files. 

“Oh?” Dick didn’t quite crouch to Damian’s height but it was a near thing. “She-” “He,” Damian corrected, interrupting him. They all exchanged a glance before Dick continued. 

“Is he coming to the Manor or…” 

Damian scoffed again, a tiny bit of a flush against his face. “No, Grandmother will most likely be staying with Akhi-”

Now wait one moment-

“YOU HAVE ANOTHER BROTHER?!” 

[ethelschapel]

[seasonal-brotp-prompts]

I've seen people say the found family trope is queer because it's about "choosing" rather than being "given," and while that's true, I think there's another reason people often gloss over or misunderstand:

found family is queer because the labels don't always fit.

sometimes a character falls somewhere between a brother and a cousin. sometimes they're a big brother, a father figure, and a weird uncle all at once. sometimes they're a sibling when a third character is present, but a parent when they aren't. sometimes any attempt to label them just falls short.

often when a lot of people are fighting over what traditional family role a member of a found family is, I find myself thinking, "maybe you're all right, and all wrong, too. maybe there isn't just one label. maybe it's a found family, so it's queer."

[michealdontleavemeher3]

hi! i was wondering if you could do a marvel/avengers x reader? where reader came from kind of a bad background and has to kinda learn that eating and doing things is normal and that they dont need to ask for permission. And the avengers realise after watching reader that they actually come from a bad background and tries to reassure that their safe? is that too complicated? SO SORRY IF IT IS. it would be really cool if you just do anything Marvel tho!! BUT OBVIOUSLY NO PRESSURE or anything. Thank you for listening and sorry if you dont understand what i said

Sorry that it took so long😿 but here it is

(also I'm so sorry the other requests are taking so long, I'm kind of busy but I try to write as much as I can when I have time)

Save haven

The Avengers Compound was unlike anything you had ever experienced. It was a fortress of safety, filled with cutting-edge technology and people who were hero's. For someone like you, who had spent years on the streets and in rough situations, it was unreal

You had been given a room of your own. The bed was massive, soft, and the blankets were warm. But even so, you often slept on top of the covers, not wanting to disturb the neatly made bed. You woke up early every morning, creeping out of your room to explore the compound, careful not to make any noise.

The kitchen was the first place you visited, It was always well-stocked, with a variety of foods you hadn’t seen in years. But instead of taking what you wanted, you’d wait until someone else entered, watching them prepare their meal before hesitantly asking if it was okay for you to eat too.

One morning, you lingered by the fridge, your stomach rumbling softly. Tony Stark walked in, still half-asleep, and went straight for the coffee machine. He glanced at you, noticing how you stood there, hands clasped together, your eyes darting between the food and him.

“Morning, kid,” Tony greeted, yawning. “Help yourself. You don’t need to ask.”

You smiled weakly but didn’t move, waiting until he had taken his coffee and left the kitchen before you finally grabbed a small yogurt. You ate it quickly, standing by the counter, before hurrying out to avoid being seen by anyone else.

It wasn’t just in the kitchen. Throughout the day, you found yourself unsure of what you were allowed to do. You asked permission to use the bathroom, take a shower, even to sit down in the common areas. You tried your best to stay out of the way, not wanting to be a burden.

The Avengers started to notice your behavior, though it took some time for them to piece together the full picture. At first, they chalked it up to nerves—after all, you were new, and living with superheroes could be intimidating. But as the days turned into weeks, they began to see that it was more than just nerves.

One afternoon, while everyone was gathered in the common room, you were perched on the edge of an armchair, looking uncomfortable. Natasha was sitting nearby, watching you with quiet concern. She noticed how you stiffened every time someone raised their voice, even in laughter. She saw how you glanced around, seemingly searching for cues on how to act.

When Steve offered you a spot on the couch next to him, you hesitated, eyes wide, as if unsure if you were really allowed. “It’s okay,” he assured you, patting the cushion. “You can sit here.”

You nodded and carefully sat down, but even then, you kept your hands folded in your lap, as if afraid to touch anything. Natasha exchanged a look with Steve, who gave a small, understanding nod.

Later that night, Natasha found you alone in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. You were scrubbing the counters diligently, even though the staff usually took care of it.

“Hey,” Natasha said softly, not wanting to startle you. “You don’t have to do that. We have people who handle the cleaning.”

You paused, turning to face her. “I just… wanted to help. I didn’t want to be useless.”

Natasha’s heart ached at your words. She approached you slowly, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “You’re not useless. You’re part of this team now. You don’t have to earn your place by doing chores or asking for permission. You belong here.”

You looked down, feeling a lump in your throat. “It’s hard to believe that sometimes,” you admitted. “Where I came from, I had to ask for everything. If I didn’t, I’d get in trouble.”

Natasha’s eyes softened, and she guided you to sit down at the kitchen table. “You don’t have to live like that anymore. This is your home now. No one here will hurt you or punish you. You’re safe.”

As she spoke, Steve walked in, having overheard the last part of the conversation. He pulled up a chair and sat down across from you. “We’re your family now,” he said, his voice kind and sincere. “We’re here for you, no matter what. You don’t need to be afraid or ask for permission to be yourself.”

You felt tears welling up, but this time, you didn’t try to hide them. Natasha squeezed your hand, offering silent support, while Steve gave you a reassuring smile. It was the first time in a long while that you felt like maybe, just maybe, you could trust this place—these people.

The next morning, when you entered the kitchen, you saw Tony pouring himself a cup of coffee again. This time, you didn’t wait for permission. You grabbed a bowl, filled it with cereal, and sat down at the table. Tony noticed, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched you take this small, but significant, step.

“Good to see you helping yourself, kid,” Tony remarked casually, taking a seat across from you.

You offered him a shy smile. “I’m trying.”

Over the next few weeks, you found yourself slowly adjusting to life in the compound. Clint would invite you to join him in watching movies, and you began to relax, realizing you didn’t have to wait for an invitation. Wanda started baking with you in the afternoons, teaching you recipes from her childhood, and you felt the joy of doing something just because you wanted to.

The others continued to reassure you in small ways. Steve always made a point to include you in conversations, never letting you feel like an outsider. Thor would leave small treats for you, gifts from his trips off-world, just to see you smile. Bruce offered quiet companionship in the lab, never pressuring you to talk, but always there if you needed someone.

One evening, after a particularly fun movie night with Clint and Sam, you found yourself laughing freely for the first time in ages. The laughter felt foreign, but good, like a weight had been lifted from your chest. You looked around at the team, realizing that you were truly beginning to feel like you belonged.

As everyone said their goodnights and headed to their rooms, Natasha caught your eye. She gave you a small nod, a silent acknowledgment of how far you had come.

“You did good, (Y/N),” she said, her voice soft and full of pride. “You’re doing great.”

You smiled, genuinely this time. “Thanks, Nat. I think I’m starting to believe that I really am safe here.”

She squeezed your shoulder gently before heading off to bed. Alone in the common room, you took a moment to appreciate the warmth and comfort that now surrounded you. It had been a long journey to get here, but for the first time in a long time, you felt like you were truly home.

And in that moment, you knew that this place—this team—was your safe haven.

[bananakeiky]

genshin be like trans kid with mommy issues gets a new mommy