the Glorious Fourth and Washington's Birthday

Sarah Josepha Hale discusses the Glorious Fourth (the nation's birthday) in the context of rejoice and celebration of the past and present accomplishments of the country. However, the joyousness of this occasion extends beyond the political implications and into the realm of female empowerment as it presents an opportunity for women to exercise their abilities to mold the country's moral foundations. In establishing each household as a "republic in itself," women are to to regard themselves as the greater leaders of the country, as it is the household where the nation's current and future political leaders receive their moral teachings. In seeking to uphold her ideologies of a perfect country based upon a perfect household, Hale holds George Washington to be the embodiment of the ideal political leader in his morality and consequent leadership. In honor of Washington, Hale strongly advocated for the establishment of Mount Vernon as a memorial to George Washington, which greatly symbolized the extent to which she believed patriotism to be intertwined with motherhood and domesticity.