The fields of antebellum (pre-Civil War) political history

[NandishSS]

The fields of antebellum (pre-Civil War) political history and women's history use separate sources and focus
Line on separate issues. Political historians, examining sources such as voting records, newspapers, and politicians' writings, focus on the emergence in the 1840's of a new "American political nation," and since women were neither voters nor politicians, they receive little discussion. Women's historians, mean-while, have shown little interest in the subject of party politics, instead drawing on personal papers, legal records such as wills, and records of female associations to illuminate women's domestic lives, their moral reform
activities and the emergence of the woman's rights movement.

However, most historians have underestimated the extent and significance of women's political allegiance in the antebellum period. For example, in the presidential election campaigns of the 1840's, the Virginia Whig party strove to win the allegiance of Virginia's women by inviting them to rallies and speeches. According to Whig propaganda, women who turned out at the party's rallies gathered information that enabled them to mold party-loyal families, reminded men of moral values that transcended party loyalty, and conferred moral standing on the party.Virginia Democrats, in response, began to make similar appeals to women as well. By the mid-1850's the inclusion of women in the rituals of party politics had become common place, and the ideology that justified such inclusion had been assimilated by the Democrats.

Hi ceilidh.erickson / GMATGuruNY / DavidG

Could you please explain these two que.

The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following
statements regarding most historians of the antebellum period?
A. They have failed to adequately contrast the differing roles that women played in
the Democratic and Whig parties in the 1850's.
B. They have failed to see that political propaganda advocating women's political
involvement did not reflect the reality of women's actual roles.
C. They have incorrectly assumed that women's party loyalty played a small role in
Whig and Democratic party politics.
D. They have misinterpreted descriptions of women's involvement in party politics
in records of female associations and women's personal papers.
E. They have overlooked the role that women's political activities played in the
woman's rights movement.

OA:C Why not B

According to the second paragraph of the passage (lines 20-42), Whig propaganda
included the assertion that
A. women should enjoy more political rights than they did
B. women were the most important influences on political attitudes within a family
C. women's reform activities reminded men of important moral values
D. women's demonstrations at rallies would influence men's voting behavior
E. women's presence at rallies would enhance the moral standing of the party

OA:E And Why not C?

Thanks
Nandish

[DavidG@VeritasPrep]

The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following
statements regarding most historians of the antebellum period?
A. They have failed to adequately contrast the differing roles that women played in
the Democratic and Whig parties in the 1850's.
B. They have failed to see that political propaganda advocating women's political
involvement did not reflect the reality of women's actual roles.
C. They have incorrectly assumed that women's party loyalty played a small role in
Whig and Democratic party politics.
D. They have misinterpreted descriptions of women's involvement in party politics
in records of female associations and women's personal papers.
E. They have overlooked the role that women's political activities played in the
woman's rights movement.

OA:C Why not B

The first sentence of the second paragraph: However, most historians have underestimated the extent and significance of women's political allegiance in the antebellum period. The rest of the paragraph details the important role that women played in the Whig and Democratic parties in the 1840's. This notion is captured in C.

As for why B is incorrect, the only mention we get of political propaganda comes midway through the second paragraph: According to Whig propaganda, women who turned out at the party's rallies gathered information that enabled them to mold party-loyal families, reminded men of moral values that transcended party loyalty, and conferred moral standing on the party. First, there's no reason to believe that this is wrong - the implication of the passage is that women did play an important role in these political movements. Second, the historians mentioned underestimated the contribution of women, a notion that is at odds with the propaganda. Clearly, the historians weren't misled by propaganda they didn't believe.

[DavidG@VeritasPrep]

According to the second paragraph of the passage (lines 20-42), Whig propaganda
included the assertion that
A. women should enjoy more political rights than they did
B. women were the most important influences on political attitudes within a family
C. women's reform activities reminded men of important moral values
D. women's demonstrations at rallies would influence men's voting behavior
E. women's presence at rallies would enhance the moral standing of the party

OA:E And Why not C?

The relevant line, again: According to Whig propaganda, women who turned out at the party's rallies gathered information that enabled them to mold party-loyal families, reminded men of moral values that transcended party loyalty, and conferred moral standing on the party.


We get a list of positive consequences of the women attending these rallies. Notice the difference in the language between E and C.

E. women's presence at rallies would enhance the moral standing of the party

C. women's reform activities reminded men of important moral values

The sentence is about the impact of the women's presence at the rallies, not about their reform activities.