Before the onset of women's rights movements in the late 19th century, patriarchy, or a male-dominated society, was the norm in America. Men used sex and marriage to objectify and repress women in order to maintain a strictly male-controlled society. The foundation of patriarchy was deeply rooted in the marital roles of men and women, one dominant and the other submissive. Sex and marriage have served as mechanisms to shape the image of men and women in society. The patriarchal system has fed itself to keep going generation after generation. By rooting patriarchy in the family, patriarchal societies are able to maintain unchallenged male dominance, embedding into people's minds that males are supposed to be in control. Male dominance is normalized by constantly presenting images of the husband as the breadwinner and his wife and children as submissive and obedient, as demonstrated throughout Rowson's film Charlotte Temple. Take for example marital agreements where the father plays a key role. The consequences of marrying without the father's approval could be as harsh as those experienced by Mr. Temple. He “struggled against his father, declared his resolve, and was commanded never again to appear in [his father's] presence” (Rowson 15). Surprisingly, Rowson never mentions his mother having a say in the matter. Women in this period were expected to take the side of their husbands, and a man whose wife contradicted him in public was seen as weak. Women unintentionally fed into the patriarchal system. Society educated them to act and think the way they did. Women were encouraged by the example of their mothers to submit to male direction. For example, Mrs. Beauchamp was initially hesitant to help the poor, sic... middle of paper... patriarchy turned out to be strong. The suppression of women through objectification has worked to influence the attitudes of both men and women. The husband was the head of the family, a symbol of power and respect. Females were bred to be wives, and women having sex outside of marriage or not marrying was not the norm. By building society in small organized groups where men are in charge, women are never given the chance to hold power since they cannot even lead their families. Works Cited Cartwright, Peter. Autobiography of Peter Cartwright, the Backwoods preacher. 1857. Print.Mattison, Hiram. Louisa Picquet, The Octoroon: or Interior Views of Southern Domestic Life. New York: 1861. Print.Nussbaum, Martha. "Objectification." Philosophy and public affairs. 1995. 249-291. Print.Rowson, Susanna. Charlotte's Temple. 1791. Start Publishing LLC, 2013. Kindle.