Which term describes the cultural ideal of womanhood during the antebellum period, emphasizing self-sacrifice and domesticity?

The term that best describes the cultural ideal of womanhood during the antebellum period, emphasizing self-sacrifice and domesticity, is the Cult of Domesticity. This ideology characterized women’s roles as primarily centered around home and family, promoting the virtues of piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. It suggested that a woman's place was in the home, nurturing her children and supporting her husband while creating a moral and stable household. The Cult of Domesticity reflected the prevailing social norms of the time and influenced the expectations placed on women within society.

While other terms like Women’s Lib and Feminine Mystique deal with later movements advocating for women's rights and challenging traditional roles, they do not represent the prevailing attitudes of the antebellum period. Victorian Virtue, while also related to social mores of the era, does not capture the specific context and emphasis on domesticity that defines the Cult of Domesticity.