A Midwife's Tale- Authors Intent

The book A Midwife's Tale was constructed by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. It is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Ulrich proves himself to be a fairly craft historian through the writing of this book. The book is entirely about the life of Martha Ballard and the community that she lived in. It is based mainly upon a diary that Martha kept between the years 1785-1812.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was the first person to truly take Martha's thoughts seriously. She was the first one to peer beyond the sex prattle and see all of the historical facts that lied just beyond it. Ulrich is a professor of history at Harvard. Many historians had thumbed through Martha's diary before her but none had taken it seriously.

When Ulrich flipped through Martha's writings she saw much more potential. She gave Martha the credit that no one else had and constructed an entire work around it. She discovered that there was much to learn from these writings. Martha could not have made it very easy on Ulrich as she was a woman of very little emotion and kept her entry's as precise as possible. Through her writings we discover that she was not a woman of great emotion and her many of her entry's become more repetitive and appear more like a log of births and deaths than anything. This is most likely what had turned off so many historians before Ulrich.

Ulrich took the time to decode Martha's misspellings and to look deeper into the lack of emotion to draw some more influential conclusions. She looked at the writings of another man from Martha's time as well and compared some of their recordings and found that many of them matched up in a decent fashion and from this was able to pull even more conclusions. From constructing this book and the research that it took Ulrich learned many things about what the role of women was like during this time period and the community that they all lived in.

By publishing her book she was able to share all that she had learned with many people. Ulrich is able to accurately depict the life of a midwife or any woman during the late 18th and early 19th century. She is able to outline the roles of the average woman and in doing so even the role of the average man. Through this book many things can be learned about the community that Martha lived in and what types of things Martha was expected to do as midwife. This also leads the reader to see the types of medicinal practices that were used during this time period. Ulrich saw many things in Martha's diary that historians that had come before her had missed. By publishing these things in A Midwifes Tale she found herself able to share all of those revelations with any genuinely interested person today.

A Midwife's Tale Part Two

There are many things needed to make a community successful. Objects such as money, equipment, and laws are all major requirements. Many things can be used to make a community larger and more successful and an all around better place to be, but at the very heart lies the people. A community is nothing without willing and able hands. A community where no one is willing to lend an ear to listen, a hand to help, or a heart to pray, is a place that is unfit to live in. It can be a place that has the most money, several town establishments, a huge schooling system, and many clinics and still be unsuccessful.

Martha Ballard's community held that which we do not always possess today, willing and able hearts and minds. If someone was hurt or in trouble the people would bind together to help them. Resources would be pooled and help would arrive on scene. If a fire were to break out then the neighbors would show up with buckets in hand ready to douse the fire with water. If a family was going hungry there would be neighborly families handing over their extra resources to help feed them.

Today if you were to drive through nearly any city you would find many people homeless and starving. The basic principals that used to be applied in Martha's time no longer seem to hold any value. Many years ago most people would know every family that lived within several miles of them on a personal basis. Today it is considered a rarity to know your next door neighbor that lives but a few feet away.

Martha Ballard and her husband were almost always opening their house up to someone in need. Be it someone that had lost a family member or a child in need of a home or nearly anyone there was almost someone residing in their home. We see several times in the diary "--slept here". Today in big communities many shelters can be found. Is this because people are less willing to open up their houses and allow people to stay? Or is it merely because the community itself has become so dysfunctional in so many areas, that there are simply too many people in need of housing to be able to provide for them all?

Stores during Martha Ballard's time were much more scarce in a small community than they are today. The people learned to rely upon one another. The women did a great deal of trading amongst themselves. Most women had their hand at some small trade and if one woman found herself skilled in the art of growing or collecting herbs and the another found herself skilled in the kitchen than they would trade with one another. Today when something is needed instead of trading with a close neighbor people will take a trip out to Walmart.

Another thing that brought a community closer together back then was that the town events were considered important. Today very few local meetings occur and the ones that do receive very small turnouts. In Martha's time on average each town had a meeting house. Every Sunday nearly every man, woman, and family could be found in the church service. It was found to be an important part of the week that most people would frown upon sleeping through.

Church was not the only thing that brought in full scale community action though. Men from every household would go to town meetings where laws and punishment would be discussed. It was important to them for their communities to be kept together and clean. Back then voting a person as head of one of the town committees was important business. Today many people could not tell you who is in charge of their local communities to contact for something important. Many people would find it necessary to Google it.

Martha Ballard's community had many things that are still present in local communities today. Every place is going to have its bad seeds (in more than one sense) and its rough patches. But Martha Ballard's community also had something that is not present in many communities today. The people that are willing to come together to help make it through the rough times. The people that are willing to hold hands on a Sunday morning and pray for those in need, the people willing to bake something for a family going hungry, and the people willing to reach out a hand to someone and say "I'm here." The relationships within a community have changed drastically since Martha's time and not in a decent manner. Communities today could be considered anything but successful.

A Midwife's Tale Part One

There is very little evidence in relevance to women's roles in the early 19th century. Much of what we "know" is based merely on assumption or some well educated guesses. This is due to many different circumstances. A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, is one of the very few remaining articles that may provide us with some insight as to what a woman's role truly was during that era.
Perhaps, the main reason that we do not have an ample amount of evidence left for us to discover today that will describe a woman's role is because it never really existed to begin with. Very few woman found themselves educated and even fewer actually made written accounts that still survive today. Martha Ballard was a midwife and her diary is one of very few accounts that still survive today that can provide us with some insight into how people lived in the 19th century.
Another reason that we have so little evidence remaining of women's roles during that time is that the women were not considered to be of the same importance as men. They were either stay at home moms, midwives, or working in textile production. The big jobs belonged to the men. All of the judges, reverends, and the majority of doctors were all men. Very few things were recorded during the early parts of the 19th century and those that were generally fell into a religious, medical, or lawful category and the women did not technically play very large roles in these fields.
Many people before Ulrich has read Martha's diary and dismissed it as just a bunch of ramblings. They found it to be of very little use. By taking the time to scour through and assess the smaller pieces of the diary Ulrich was able to determine many things about the average daily life of a woman in the 19th century. He was able to make many discoveries and even prove a few historians and their educated guesses wrong.
Women played a much more important role in the early 19th century than many people commonly believe. For instance Martha herself as only a midwife often treated many of the common and sometimes uncommon illnesses in the areas surrounding her home. She not only delivered babies but administered medicine to the sick and occasionally played the role of mortician as well. She often took on the duties known to only doctors today and only on a rare occasion actually consulted with a physician. Many sick people found relief through Martha Ballard, a female resident of Maine in the early 19th century.
The 19th century appears to have been a time of transition. Moving out of an age where men controlled every aspect of life and into an age where the role was shared mutually with women. The women helped to assure that the household was running and were able to take on many of the common local duties. Men seemed to be just learning the true value of women.
Not only were women key to making a household run smoothly and useful in medical practices but they were also essential when it came to local trade as well. They were needed to continue making the economy run in an organized fashion. Women were constantly trading with one another for cooking necessities, blankets, clothing, vegetables etc. If one family seemed to be having a particularly hard time making ends meet than the women would go over to that household and take the looming equipment and such with them and provide them with the necessary help.
By the beginning of the 19th century women's roles had increased drastically and Ulrich's research through Martha's diary and few other accounts help us to see this. Women were a necessity for success and no man could have failed to recognize it during such an era. They were needed in almost every aspect. The very medical foundations, economy, and heart of 19th century would have been missing if the women had not taken on the roles that they did and accomplish tasks daily that many still struggle with today. One can only wish that more women had taken it upon themselves to keep an accurate daily record of their activities. So much still remains to be learned.

at.oow

I decided to research more about what an at.oow is because I felt as though it would only gain more significance as the book continues. It was really touching that Garvey gave Cole the blanket when it apparently had a great deal of meaning to him and he entrusted it to such a troubled youth. This showed that he has great faith in and hope for Cole.
The idea of an at.oow originated from the Tlingit tribe. An at.oow was a clans most prized possession. It could be any kind of object, story, or song, or even something such as the moon. All of the rights to an object had to be aquired through some sort of ancestor of the tribe.
Cole has a very negative attitude towards everything. It will take quite a bit to turn him around. Fortunately the at.oow that Garvey passed on to him was not destroyed and lost in the fire. I hope that it will continue to gain significance throughout the story.

The Great Collaboration that Turned 13 Colonies into a Nation

The American Revolution was the movement that freed America from British reign. It was the leadership and qualities possessed by a few good men that won the nation and built it from the ground up. The sources used in constructing this essay were Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary, and Th.JeffersonMonticello.com .

The American Revolution began in 1775 and did not truly come to an end until 1783 when John Adams took office as the second president of the United States. These were eight very difficult years for anyone living in the 13 colonies. Britain had more money and a much larger army fighting its battles, but America had something that Britain did not, passion. There were many American leaders that stepped in to defend and help form their country that cared for nothing more than their impending freedom. It was through the ambition, collaboration, and determination of these few men that America became what it still is today.

When considering the American Revolution the first man that must be brought up would be John Adams of Massachusetts. He was really the catalyst for the entire revolution. He and his family resided very close to where the British had been invading. He urged the council repeatedly to declare war and bind the colonies together as one to fight. He cared very strongly for his country. “If revolutionary credentials were the major criteria, Adams was virtually unbeatable. His career, indeed his entire life, was made by the American Revolution; and he, in turn, had made American Independence his lifes project.” (Founding Brothers pg. 164). He eventually became president and turned out to be an admirable leader though he had been rather radical to begin with. “Adams was an inherently erratic character who often lacked control over his own emotional impulses.” (Founding Brothers pg. 214.)

John Adams would have never accomplished anything during his lifetime if it had not been for his wife Abigail and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania. They helped to keep him grounded and skilled him in the art of dealing with politicians. Franklin himself made both great advances scientifically and for the freedom of his nation. Without Franklin there would have never been a war. He went over to France to try to encourage them to help us with the war. Abigail often provided her husband with advice when it came to political matters. “Adam’s partner in the dance was Abigail, whose political instincts rivaled Madison’s legendary skills and whose knowledge of her husbands emotional makeup surpassed all competitors.” (Founding Brothers)

Perhaps the most memorable man of the time is George Washington and for good reason. He was elected as the first president of the United States and nominated by Adams to be the General of the Army. He was an honest and decent man and kept his soldiers going even while enduring the worst possible living conditions. He marched and fought beside his men and thus led by example. Washington was an extremely modest man that fought only for the good of our country and refused to let the power corrupt him even after being offered the title of “kingship”. He has been considered the father of our country since 1776, which was before we even had a country. The only person that ever came close to taking this title from him was Benjamin Franklin. “The only serious contender for primary was Benjamin Franklin, but just before his death in 1790, Franklin himself acknowledged Washington’s supremacy.” (Founding Brothers)

Washington’s right hand man throughout was Alexander Hamilton. He requested that Hamilton be named second in command of the army and refused to work without him. This caused some trouble for Adams who severely disliked Hamilton. He did not have a distinguished bloodline and so was forever trying to prove himself to the other men and his country. “In part because of his undistinguished origins, Hamilton always seemed compelled to be proving himself.” (Founding Brothers pg. 22). Wherever Hamilton went, drama seemed to follow. When he was not busy making enemies with Adams, he was butting heads with Aaron Burr and this proved to be the death of him. All that can be said for Hamilton was that he was extremely ambitious and did care for his country. “Hamilton tended to regard worldly problems as personal challenges.” (Founding Brothers pg. 22).

Aaron Burr believed Hamilton to be a complete fool. Burr was ambitious and willing to take on and face political challenges. He was gifted with the ability to form and carry out governmental strategies. His bloodline was a lot more pure than Hamilton’s and he was more reserved. “Burr’s overall demeanor seemed subdued, as if the compressed energies of New England were up inside him, waiting for the opportunity to explode.” (Founding Brothers pg. 22). Burr’s political and personal downfall came after killing Hamilton. They had fought for 15 years and finally decided to have a duel to prove superiority at Weehawken. Burr went into the duel determined to show up Hamilton and Hamilton refused to back down because he would look like a fool to all of his superiors and companions. “If Burr went to Weehawken out of frustration, Hamilton went out of a combination of fear and insecurity.” (Founding Brothers pg. 23)

While Hamilton was alive he became fairly close with James Madison. Madison was a very clever man that could talk his way out of virtually anything. It is believed that in the art of speech he ranked similarly to Franklin. He was very difficult to become angry with and could make any man that tried to debate with him on an issue, look like a fool. Madison was a valuable asset to America’s founding.

Madison’s loyalties lied with one man and one man alone; Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson believed that all Americans should have the right to freedom and worked hard to try and achieve that. He was initially, in his earlier years, very close with John and Abigail Adams but turned on them in later years for political interest. Jefferson became the third president of the United States, was the author of the Declaration of Independence, passed the Statute of Religious Freedom in Virginia, and he founded the University of Virginia. He held many leadership positions in his time. He served in the House of Delegates, was the governor of Virginia, chairman of the committee dealing with the government of the western lands, minister to France, Secretary of State, vice-president of the United States (under John Adams), and then the president of the United States. Jefferson did a great deal to serve his country.

All of these men may have had their differences and fought amongst each other, but thankfully their positive attributes outweighed the negative and they became the founders of America. Franklin was a man that possessed great ideas and was always willing to take the risks necessary to see them through. Aaron Burr may have had a real problem with his temper but he had a real passion for his country. Adams may have been a bit radical but it was his radical thoughts that initiated the stand against Britain. Adams listened to Franklin and helped carry out his ideas, kept Hamilton’s ego in check, cooperated with Jefferson, and kept Washington in command, all of which, were key aspects in winning the war against Britain. Madison collaborated well with Jefferson and Hamilton and later became the fourth president of the United States and continued to lead the nation in the right direction. It was Washington’s obvious charisma that kept up the troop’s morale and led them towards the ultimate victory. His modesty worked very well in contrast with Adams personality. Hamilton was ambitious and energetic and worked hard to fight for freedom. Jefferson and Adams may have had their problems but they always cared for one another and Adams is even said to have spoken Jefferson’s name upon his death bed. The men all had their differences in opinion and strategy but in the end it was their collaboration and effort that founded the nation. Without each of their personal ambitions, ideologies, and personality quirks, the British would have conquered what is now a free standing nation.

August 1st, 1776

My Dearest Debby,

I find myself in the midst of quite a predicament while here in Philadelphia. I cannot wait to come home to you my darling wife but I fear that I may not be able to for a long while now. We are currently attempting to face down a giant that is much larger than ourselves. Unfortunately, The Giant's strengths do not merely end in size. Amount of artillery power and powder are also of their advantage as is money in general. If we stand any chance at all it is in will power alone. Our men fight for their freedom and for their land, possessions, and families .Here The Giant will discover its weakness I believe. We are at an all around advantage with familiarity with the terrain.
I truly believe that we have a long road ahead of us my dear. The end is no where in sight. I do however, have the utmost respect for General Washington and have instilled all of my faith in him that he will see our troops through this time. He is a courageous and modest man and I doubt that there is any other man as well suited for such a position than he.

It is a sad disappointment to me that it has come to this war at all but I would be a fool to deem it unnecessary. Dickinson was a fool himself to resist the motion for as long as he did and a good 400 Boston patriots gave their lives because of it. None of them being professional soldiers but merely citizens of Massachusetts who willingly gave their lives to defend what was already theirs. Do not dwell upon this though my dear for they took with them more than 1,000 British soldiers and 100 of their officers and in this we may rejoice! Dickinson could hold no defense against the war after this. No one in the room wanted to hear about another of his plans for peace. I believe everyone in the room felt it necessary to rise up against such a brutish attack. Many a men found themselves rather embarrassed to be in the same room with such a man that would suggest otherwise. In this manner Dickinson found himself overruled.

During the first of our meetings Mr. John Adams made himself out to be a blathering idiot. He even went so far as to insult the Quakers and their ways. I could not believe the fool and had to choke back a spat of laughter. Dickinson of course appearing much less of an idiot became the voice of reason that was listened to and proposed that we publish a statement, issue a non-importation, non-consumption, non-exportation of British goods act, and prepare a loyal address to His Majesty. All but four of the colonies voted in favor of this. Due to Mr. Adams foolish ways I found myself being in the remaining nine.

I spoke with Mr. Adams the afternoon of his outburst and cautioned him as to his ways. I merely suggested that he had won nothing at all by opposing the motion and suggested that he only made himself new enemies. I advised him to seek out the gentlemen of Virginia because everyone follows their lead. If one does not win Virginia than one will win nothing at all.

Fortunately, the brutish and uncalled for attack on Boston seemed to justify Mr. Adams concerns and we came together to vote once again. This time he remained much more calm and blew the defense out of their wigs. Mr. Dickinson was left without defense. Mr. Adams moved that the Congress might adopt the Massachusetts Militia. This of course brought about much grumbling, all of which ceased when he suggested that it be lead by Colonel Washington. This was a brilliant move and I, myself, felt compelled to act in its favor and stood up in support of it. Washington being the humble man he is blushed and accepted in a meek manner. I recall that he was wearing a black band around his arm that very day in mourning of the lost men of Massachusetts, a very touching sentiment.

So my darling Debby I may be here a while but you may rest assured that it is for good reason that I am away. We would have been complete fools to allow The Giant to come any further without putting up some resistance. We are all at the aid of Massachusetts and we will not abandon course until all of our men lie dead in the fields and there are none left to fight but women and children. The Giant may have money but we have willpower, discipline, and intelligence fighting on our behalf. Do not fret my dear for we will not lose. Continue to pray that God may keep our men and their officers.

All of my love,

Your Humble Husband,

B. Franklin

References: Mr. Viles' classroom speaches, and John Adams on HBO

Alton S. Tobey