The Memory Palace’s Nate DiMeo weaves the tale of Anna Jarvis–founder of Mother’s Day–and her mother…Anna Jarvis, and how the holiday’s social justice origins turned commercial.

Excerpted from: The Good Mother: A History of American Motherhood

Historian Linda Kerber sets out to uncover the role of women in the founding period and finds “republican motherhood,” followed by a discussion of how the concept of motherhood evolved in the 19th century.

Excerpted from: The Good Mother: A History of American Motherhood

Ann Hulbert, an expert on parenting experts, explains why mothers in the 1920s were instructed not to smother their children with love.

Excerpted from: The Good Mother: A History of American Motherhood

Some say motherhood is the hardest job in the world; turns out, there’s a lot of history to back that up. In this Mother’s Day episode, the Guys explore the changing expectations of mothers over three centuries. Historian Linda Kerber discusses the “founding mothers,” who were tasked with instilling future generations with good republican values. Ann Hulbert, an expert on parenting experts, explains why mothers in the 1920s were instructed not to smother their children with love. And reporter Nate DiMeo tells the tragic story of Anna Jarvis, the “mother” of Mother’s Day.

Guests Include:

• Linda Kerber, historian and author of Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America
• Ann Hulbert, author of Raising America: Experts, Parents, and a Century of Advice About Children
  
• Nate DiMeo, writer & producer of the history podcast The Memory Palace

Web Exclusive

Worst Mother?
This episode explores what it has meant to be a “good mother” in American history. But we here at BackStory have been scratching our heads trying to think of some really bad mothers from our nation’s past. Who would you nominate as the Worst Mother in American History?

Further Reading

Want to dig deeper into the history of motherhood? Check out this list of resources compiled by the History Guys to learn more.

Check out the music in our “Motherhood” show.

But we here at BackStory are stumped when it comes to who could possibly claim the title of worst mother in our nation’s past.

Can you help us out? Leave a comment below with your “Worst Mother” nomination and we’ll announce our favorites on the next episode of BackStory. Remember, this is history, so the Octomom doesn’t count!

California’s recent passage of a gay marriage ban suggests that many Americans subscribe to the idea of the “traditional” family — caregiver mom, breadwinner dad, and 2.5 children. But whose tradition is it, really? In this hour, the Guys hear dueling viewpoints — first from Focus on the Family, and then from a Columbia University historian of families. Historian Marie Jenkins Schwartz discusses the pressures and triumphs of enslaved families, and Stephen Talbot, who played Gilbert on Leave it to Beaver, talks about what it was like to grow up in the iconic American family.

Show Highlights

Family:  Myth v. Reality
Historian Steven Mintz busts some myths about “traditional” family values and their so-called “Golden Age” – the 1950s. He argues that contrary to popular belief, American families are more stable now, on the whole, than they’ve ever been.

Leave it to Gilbert
Filmmaker and former child actor Stephen Talbot, who played Beaver’s friend Gilbert on Leave it to Beaver, tells the History Guys what it was like growing up in the quintessential American family.

Related Links

• Read Stephen Talbot’s article, “Living Down Beaver”
• Find out “Why Children Need Father Love and Mother Love,” by Glenn Stanton
• Learn more about Steve Mintz’s “Family Images and Realities”