Portraits of American Women: From Settlement to the Present / Edition 1

by G. J. Barker-Benfield, Catherine Clinton

Overview

Until recently, a "womanless" American history was the norm. But in fact, without a history of women we neglect consideration of gender dynamics, sex roles, and family and sexual relations—the very fundamentals of human interaction. In Portraits of American Women, G.J. Barker-Benfield and Catherine Clinton present twenty-four short essays on American women beginning with Pocahontas and ending with Betty Friedan.
The essays here locate the histories of women and men together by period and provide a sense of their continuities through the whole gallery of the American past. The editors selected women who made "significant contributions in the public realm," be they in the areas of art, literature, political engagement, educational activities, or reform movements. Included here are portraits of such luminaries as Georgia O'Keeffe, Margaret Mead, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anne Hutchinson, Phillis Wheatley, Margaret Fuller, and Rose Schneiderman, to name a few. Each portrait is fashioned to appeal to a wide range of readers, and all include sound scholarship and accessible prose, and raise provocative issues to illuminate women's lives within a broad range of historical transformations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195120486
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/23/1998
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	624
Product dimensions:	5.54(w) x 8.49(h) x 1.21(d)

About the Author

G.J. Barker-Benfield is in the Department of History at the State University of New York, Albany. He is the author of The Horrors of the Half-known Life and The Culture of Sensibility.

Catherine Clinton is Douglas Southall Freeman Visiting Professor at the University of Richmond. Her publications include Tara Revisited, Divided Houses, and most recently The Devils Lane: Sex and Race in the Early South.

Editorial Reviews

"Enjoyable reading....It presents these fascinating women in a lively and compelling fashion."—Reviews in American History

"Each piece is solidly researched; taken as a whole, the volume makes an important contribution to women's history. Portraits of American Women would be an excellent choice for supplemental readings in a survey course. The editors have brought together many voices to create a chorus of women, at times dissonant but ultimately harmonious."—Journal of American History

"Here is a collection to inform and invigorate discussion about women and American culture in anu course. The coverage spans the centuries and includes intellectuals, reformers, and community builders—women who translated ideas into action. Portraits allows students to see women in many poses, with many possibilities. In this vital collection, women come into clear view."—Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's University (PA)

"Finally—a collection of short biographies of American women which spans American history and represents women of many backgrounds in many fields!"—Melissa Walker, Converse College

"A perfect 'companion' to survey texts and primary source documents. Student response to selections was positive—they regarded the essays as lively and thought-provoking."—Liz Hohl, Fairfield University

From the Publisher