Join Dr. Laura Ping as she demonstrates how the life of education reformer Catharine Beecher is a lens through which to understand the cultural changes of the nineteenth century.

Catharine Beecher’s writings outlined a unique domestic role for women just as urbanization and industrialization were limiting their social influence. By arguing that gender differences were a strength, Beecher empowered middle-class women to embrace domestic duties. Ping contextualizes Beecher’s life against the major changes that occurred during the first three-quarters of the nineteenth century. By looking at Beecher’s writings and anecdotes from her life, she offers insight into Beecher’s personality and how her career shaped the culture of femininity.