Martha Ballard

made her history. Once again referring back to her famously title article. The last famous example listed is Martha Ballard. The author mentions her being the focus of her second book, A Midwife’s Tale: The Tale of Martha Ballard. The author goes on to say that Ballard was a “good wife,” indistinguishable, and did not make history. The author furthers her point by explaining that Ballard was a “midwife and healer, and she relied on home-grown medicines…” “...Her religious sentiments were conventional;

they would need to do something extraordinary. In “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History,” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, she points out several famous women in history that fit the mold of extraordinary. Through discussing Mae West, Rosa Parks, and Martha Ballard, Ulrich makes the claim that women rarely make history unless they have broken away from the norms of their society. By explaining the individual historical cases and her own opinion, accompanied by visual representations of her view, Ulrich argues

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich uses Martha Ballard’s diary to portray life in rural New England in the late 1700 and early 1800’s. Using this diary and other historical material she recreates the 27 years of life that Martha has disclosed in her diary. By using Martha’s life and words she recreates what living was like during the pre-industrial era. She features the role that midwives and women in general played in the economic survival of families during this era. The diary by itself does not shed light

Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich provides a glimpse of America post Revolutionary war through her critically acclaimed book, A Midwife’s Tale, which is the interpretation of Martha Ballard’s seemingly humble diary—a record of her life as a midwife, mother, wife, and caregiver from 1785 through 1812. The book features Ballard’s account of her average day’s activities, which, in turn, serves to represent the tasks of women in her society; however, Ulrich cross-references the diary with documents such

Laurel Ulrich chronicling the life of a woman named Martha Ballard, I thought the women in these times were just housewives and nothing else. I pictured them doing the cleaning and the cooking for their husbands and not being very smart because of the lack of education or them being unable to work. My view on the subject changed however when I watched this specific woman's life and her work.      To know that there was a woman such as Martha back in those days is very interesting to me because

substantial progress in women’s rights. Just a few hundred years ago, women livered mundane lives and rarely got to speak up for themselves. In the book, The Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, it follows the life of Martha Ballard through the use of her own diary. Martha Ballard captures the lives of common women in the Early Republic Era by providing an authentic record of the role women played in their communities throughout the developmental years of the United States. Some back

Bad Girls “Well behaved women seldom make history.” I have seen that phrase and its slightly more common counterpart, “Well behaved women rarely make history” many times. It is especially popular in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a medieval history research and reenactment group in which I participate, and is often accompanied by images of female fighters in armor wielding swords. Most recently I saw it emblazoned upon my girlfriend’s chest on a medieval themed t-shirt that she bought

and national economy as they were locally produced, traded and exported. Martha was a midwife who helped successfully bring hundreds of babies into the world and she was also played a huge role in seeing to the wellness and welfare of the community. As a midwife, Martha served anyone who required her, regardless of their religion, race or place in society. Socializing was an important part of daily life. Even when Martha spent days at home, she was still connected to the locals, which is evident

Throughout history the role of women in society has changed. For example in “A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard”, which took place in 1785 to 1812, women were seen as virtuous. In “The Devil in the Shape of a Women: Witchcraft in Colonial New England ” which took place in 1600s depicted women who didn’t fit into the social order as eden, evil. Social order in the 1600s showed males having primal power over political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property.

Martha Ballard, while to many the messiah of Maine, might have been more of a parading pestilence as she moved throughout the town giving treatment and illness, one and the same. Throughout Martha Ballard’s diary and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s transcription of such, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, various examples of transmission can be seen with some cases leaving individuals dead and families destroyed. Such sicknesses included Dysentery, Scarlet Fever, and unidentified illnesses. While