The Woman's Relief Corps: "Missionaries of the Flag," 1893-1918

Abstract

Patriotic education began when the Woman’s Relief Corps was established. The earliest patriotic education was done on Memorial Day rather than on a daily basis in the schoolroom. The WRC’s plan for patriotic education went into full gear in 1893. The history of the Woman’s Relief Corps and the implementation of patriotic education is a fascinating one that shows how a conservative organization of women implemented a regimented daily routine that today shows more about the women and their beliefs than one might expect. As time passed after the Civil War, more and more Union veterans died leaving the legacy to keep the memory of the War alive to the WRC. Patriotic education provided a perfect avenue to keep that memory alive as well as to inculcate the students with patriotism and how to be good citizens. As patriotic education evolved and grew, there was a pattern of changing rhetoric among educators and the WRC. This is visible when one looks at the discussions amongst the members of the WRC during and immediately after a war. Generally, during a war, the women of the WRC would step back into a supportive role of American military and then immediately after a war would take advantage of the patriotic fervor to further expand patriotic education.