DATE: January 30, 1998

 Database: 9900007

 Subject: . Jimmy McWilliams comments on my paper . ECP/ 99/ 4//

"General Comments":

1. Focus exclusively on what Isabella Clark tells us about urban Republican motherhood; scratch the emphasis on women's contributions to the building of Washington DC; pages 15-18 should be the central focus of the paper. Downplay Joseph Clark's biog. details (pg 11-15)

2. Move beyond using Isabella Clark as a window to posit a thesis about the Republican Wife that challenges our traditional conceptions of a somewhat time worn conception.  I would put more emphasis on IC delicate rheotic that balances financial savy with moral concerns.

3- Relegate all references to secondayr work into the footnotes and make the paper your own.  Having done the research, you should not give the credit to Norton, Kerber, et al.  You clearly have enough rich informatin to move beyond their work.  The paper could benefit from a brief histiographical summary and an equally brief statement on how will address that historography.

4-Include a discussion of why Isabella Clark can serve as an effective example of the Republican wofe. Why can you genearlize from her?