19th century America was a time period entrenched in deep gender divides. At this time there was a clearly defined ideal of womanhood. The Cult of Domesticity or True Womanhood, as historian now refer to it, was a set of widely held beliefs about the roles a white, middle class woman was supposed to concern herself with. The primary roles were wife and mother but along with them were ideas about piety, purity, and submissiveness. As mothers, these women had a tremendous responsibility. They were to raise good republican sons and daughters that would become good wives and mothers. This reverence for their motherhood made it so that although they were still restricted there was a sense of value placed onto their roles. Alex Tocqueville famously