Includes bibliographical references (p. [207]-227) and index.
Contents
Ch. 1. Immigrants to Paradise: White Women in the Seventeenth-Century Chesapeake -- Ch. 2. Goodwives and Bad: New England Women in the Seventeenth Century -- Ch. 3. The Sisters of Pocahontas: Native American Women in the Centuries of Colonization -- Ch. 4. In a "Babel of Confusion": Women in the Middle Colonies -- Ch. 5. The Rhythms of Labor: African-American Women in Colonial Society -- Ch. 6. The Rise of Gentility: Class and Regional Differences in the Eighteenth Century -- Ch. 7. "Beat of Drum and Ringing of Bell": Women in the American Revolution -- Epilogue. Fair Daughters of Columbia: White Women in the New Republic.
Summary
The Indian, European, and African women of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America were defenders of their native land, pioneers on the frontier, willing immigrants, and courageous slaves. They were also - as earlier scholars tended to overlook - as important as men in shaping American culture and history. First Generations is one of the first books to examine these women's experiences, to look at them not only as wives, mothers, household managers, laborers, rebels,
but, invariably, as active participants in the creation of their societies. In fascinating biographical portraits and analyses of collective experiences, Carol Berkin conveys the varieties of female lives, separated by class, region, and race but linked by laws and presumptions that defined them by gender.
x, 205 pages, [8] pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Notes
Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-200) and index.
Contents
Setting the stage : the war, army, and community -- Martha Washington at Valley Forge : "the worthy partner of the worthiest of men" -- Martha Washington at the other encampments : a resolute and loyal lady -- Catharine Greene and Lucy Knox : the ladies come to Valley Forge -- Rebekah Biddle, Lady Stirling, and Alice Shippen at Valley Forge : "I should not be sorry to see you here" -- The women with Washington's "family" : slaves, servants, and spies -- Camp women at Valley Forge : "a caravan of wild beasts" -- Camp women with the Continental Army : cannonballs and cooking kettles -- The general returns to Valley Forge : a distinguished officer's musings -- Appendix: Making the myth of Martha Washington : nineteenth-century fantasy vs. eighteenth-century reality.
Summary
"[This book] tells the story of the forgotten women who spent the winter of 1777-78 with the Continental Army at Valley Forge -- from those on society's lowest rungs to ladies of the upper echelon. Poor, dirty beings who clung to the very edge of survival, many camp women were soldiers' wives who worked as the army's washerwomen, nurses, cooks, or seamstresses. Though these women's written correspondence is scarce, author Nancy Loane uses sources such as issued military orders, pension depositions after the war, and soldiers' descriptions to bring these women to life. Other women at the encampment were of higher status: they traveled with Washington's entourage when the army headquarters shifted from place to place and served the general as valued cooks, laundresses, or housekeepers ... Drawing from diary entries and letters, Following the drum illuminates the experiences of these ladies, including Martha Washington, Lucy Knox, and Lady Stirling, during the encampment and then traces their lives after the Revolutionary War"--Jacket.
