The documentary “A Midwife’s Tale”
Midwifes tale-
Martha Ballard was a midwife and mother living in the wilds of Maine during the chaotic decades following the American Revolution. Her diary is an up-close view of the poverty, disease, and day-to-day hardships of a struggling young nation. Some two hundred years later, in a quest to understand 18th-century America through a woman’s eyes, historian and author Laurel Thatcher Ulrich spent eight years working through Martha‘s massive, but cryptic, diary. A Midwife’s Tale, from the PBS American Experience collection chronicles their interwoven stories: an 18th-century midwife and the 20th-century historian who brought her words to light. This film pieces together a picture of Ballard’s life in Hallowell, Maine, the characters inhabiting her daily routine, and the role of women in the post-revolutionary world. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (90 minutes) Distributed by PBS Distribution.
What did you learn about doing women’s history from the Midwife’s Tale documentary?