American Women's History - by Melissa E Blair & Vanessa M Holden & Maeve Kane (Paperback)

About the Book

"Gender is foundational to how people, communities, and nations understand themselves and others. In studying the past, our own ideas about gender roles and gender difference shape what questions we ask and what answers we see. This is true for all historical periods, but it is especially true for the distant past and groups who did not leave direct oral or written records about themselves. In ancient North America, what we know about the past is that Indigenous women were important political, social, and economic actors in their nations, and that their labor literally reshaped the landscapes of their nations. What we can know about this period comes from a variety of sources including oral histories, archaeology, and DNA research, but the way these sources have been understood has been shaped by changing understanding of gender and women's work"--

Book Synopsis

Offers a nuanced account of the multiple aspects of women's lives and their roles in American society

American Women's History presents a comprehensive survey of women's experience in the U.S. and North America from pre-European contact to the present. Centering women of color and incorporating issues of sexuality and gender, this student-friendly textbook draws from cutting-edge scholarship to provide a more inclusive and complicated perspective on the conventional narrative of U.S. women's history. Throughout the text, the authors highlight diverse voices such as Matoaka (Pocahontas), Hilletie van Olinda, Margaret Sanger, and Annelle Ponder.

Arranged chronologically, American Women's History explores the major turning points in American women's history while exploring various contexts surrounding race, work, politics, activism, and the construction of self. Concise chapters cover a uniquely wide range of topics, such as the roles of Indigenous women in North American cultures, the ways women participated in the American Revolution, the lives of women of color in the antebellum South and their experiences with slave resistance and rebellion, the radical transformation brought on by Black women during Reconstruction, the activism of women before and after suffrage was won, and more.

• Discusses how Indigenous women navigated cross-cultural contact and resisted assimilation efforts after the arrival of Europeans
• Considers the construction of Black female bodies and the implications of the slave trade in the Americas
• Addresses the cultural shifts, demographic changes, and women's rights movements of the early twentieth century
• Highlights women's participation in movements for civil rights, workplace justice, and equal educational opportunities
• Explores the feminist movement and its accomplishments, the rise of anti-feminism, and women's influence on the modern political landscape

Designed for both one- and two-semester U.S. history courses, American Women's History is an ideal resource for instructors looking for a streamlined textbook that will complement existing primary sources that work well in their classes. Due to its focus on women of color, it is particularly valuable for community colleges and other institutions with diverse student populations.

From the Back Cover

American Women's History presents a comprehensive survey of women's experience in the United States and North America from pre-European contact to the present. Centering women of color and incorporating issues of sexuality and gender, this student-friendly textbook draws from cutting-edge scholarship to provide a more inclusive and complex perspective on the conventional narrative of American women's history. Throughout the text, the authors highlight the stories of important women in American history including Matoaka (Pocahontas), Hilletie van Olinda, Margaret Sanger, and Annelle Ponder.

Arranged chronologically, American Women's History explores the major turning points in American women's history while investigating various contexts surrounding race, work, politics, activism, and the construction of self. Concise chapters cover a uniquely wide range of topics, such as the roles of Indigenous women in North American cultures, the ways women participated in the American Revolution, the lives of women of color in the antebellum South and their experiences with slave resistance and rebellion, the radical transformation brought on by Black women during Reconstruction, and the activism of women before and after suffrage was won.

Designed for both one- and two-semester U.S. history courses, American Women's History is an ideal resource for instructors looking for a streamlined textbook that will complement primary sources and will invite engagement and reflection for students.

About the Author

MELISSA E. BLAIR is an Associate Professor of History at Auburn University. She is the author of Revolutionizing Expectations: Women's Organizations, Feminism, and American Politics 1965-1980 and Bringing Home the White House: The Hidden History of Women Who Shaped the Presidency in the Twentieth Century.

VANESSA M. HOLDEN is an Associate Professor of History and African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky. She is the author of, Surviving Southampton: African American Women and Resistance in Nat Turner's Community. She is also the director of the Central Kentucky Slavery Initiative through which she manages numerous public history projects.

MAEVE KANE is Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany -- State University of New York. Her recent published work includes Shirts Powdered Red: Haudenosaunee Gender, Trade, and Exchange Across Three Centuries, as well as articles in the journal Ethnohistory, The Journal of Early American History, and a chapter in the edited collection Women and the American Revolution.