CHARACTER

Character

Character

The concept of character has been an important one in the lives of American men and in American constructions of masculinity. It can be defined as an internalized commitment to moral or ethical principles, such as honesty, industry, frugality, sobriety, punctuality, and diligence. Men were first encouraged to cultivate character in the eighteenth century, but its prime period of importance was during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when it became an essential tool for middle-class economic advancement. Character's relative importance to manhood declined during the twentieth century, but it remained an important foundation for a man's success.

The education of ...