ideals of women

One of the things you will see if you examine women's history is that there is a huge change in what women are expected to do and how they are expected to behave and ideal characteristics. What you see are two key trends. In the Revolutionary period to about 1815 or so is the idea of Republican Motherhood. Women were supposed to be patriotic and raise their children to be good American citizens, in order to make America a great country. When you get into the early industrial era, men are now working outside the home, instead of in the home or farm, and therefore, there was the creation of what was called separate spheres. The women's sphere was the house, and women were given new ideals to shoot for. What developed became known as the Cult of True Womanhood, where women were supposed to be pure (sexually chaste until marriage, and faithful after), pious(religious and teach kids religion), domestic (running the home, cooking, cleaning, etc) and submissive (husband's word was law).
Although American men and women definitely had difficult times in 1770, after the Revolution syarted in 1776, Americans began moving west and this would require American women to become more like equal partners with males (they both had an equal stake in traveling, clearing land, dealing with Indians, etc) Of course the men might be absent as a member of the militia or traveling for supplies and it would leave the women in charge thus thrusting them into a more equal positions with men.
Republican Motherhood
An idea linked to republicanism that elevated the role of women. It gave them the prestigious role as the special keepers of the nation's conscience Its roots were from the idea that a citizen should be to his country as a mother is to her child.
Cult of Domesticity
A widespread cultural creed that glorified the customary functions of the homemaker. Married women held immense power in being able to control the morals of a household.