The Genteel Patriarch
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the model of American masculinity was defined. The three archetypes of the American Man are the Genteel Patriarch, the Heroic Craftsman, and the Self-Made Man. Both the Genteel Patriarch and the Heroic Craftsman were imported from Europe and provided a strong masculine identity to the New World.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were Genteel Patriarchs The Genteel Patriarch was a typical upper-class European man who brought with him his refined tastes in food and wine, impeccable etiquette, and his aristocratic value of land ownership.
He ruled his vast estate with his own brand of benevolence and kindness. She spent much time raising her children by teaching them her accepted view of morality, thus shaping them into active participants in the New World.
Farming was the only honorable occupation for a man of his stature. He was able to build independence and self-confidence by supporting his virtues of honor, self-sufficiency, and hospitality. Gentle benevolence was the ticket to feeling superior to all underclasses, especially the black man. Any man who was not a landowner was not a man at all. This belief introduced the class modality in America, imported from Europe. In this class system, a person could not move up in class or even associate with the upper class because they were considered deficient. This government of tyranny did not suit American individuality well.
While he occupied his time with the pursuit of philosophy, literature, and art; he portrayed the air of nobility that was racist, discriminatory and tyranny. Although his occupation was that of a farmer, he rarely did any kind of work, instead, he owned black men and used them as a means to maintain his elegant and cultured lifestyle.
The Genteel Patriarch was a strong influence on the ideal of American manhood. His influence was short-lived due to the American spirit of independence and the opening of the new frontier.
The Revolutionary War (1775-1783) was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the 13 Colonies. The New World formed its own character and dignity, moving away from European influence.
The Genteel Patriarch realized that they were out of favor, as they were seen as not living up to the ideals of democracy and US independence. They were soon seen as effeminate, dandy with strong ties to Europe.
Its values and traditions did not transfer well to the changing face of America as it transitioned from an agricultural to an industrial society.
The Civil War was the last stand of the Genteel Patriarch.
