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9780271079288 Academic Inspection Copy

Sentiments of a British-American Woman

Esther DeBerdt Reed and the American Revolution
  • ISBN-13: 9780271079288
  • Publisher: PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
    Imprint: PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
  • By Owen S. Ireland
  • Price: AUD $195.00
  • Stock: 0 in stock
  • Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
  • Local release date: 13/02/2018
  • Format: Hardback 264 pages Weight: 0g
  • Categories: History of the Americas [HBJK]
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At the time of her death in 1780, British-born Esther DeBerdt Reed—a name few know today—was one of the most politically important women in Revolutionary America. Her treatise “The Sentiments of an American Woman” articulated the aspirations of female patriots, and the Ladies Association of Philadelphia, which she founded, taught generations of women how to translate their political responsibilities into action. DeBerdt Reed’s social connections and political sophistication helped transform her husband, Joseph Reed, from a military leader into the president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position analogous to the modern office of governor.

DeBerdt Reed’s life yields remarkable insight into the scope of women’s political influence in an age ruled by the strict social norms structured by religion and motherhood. The story of her courtship, marriage, and political career sheds light both on the private and political lives of women during the Revolution and on how society, religion, and gender interacted as a new nation struggled to build its own identity.

Engaging, comprehensive, and built on primary source material that allows DeBerdt Reed’s own voice to shine, Ireland’s expertly researched biography rightly places her among revolutionary sisters such as Abigail Adams, Judith Sargent Murray, and Mercy Otis Warren.


Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One: Esther: Imprudent and Impatient Love

Chapter Two: Joseph: Love and Calculation

Chapter Three: A Willful Girl Matures

Chapter Four: Responsibilities and Schemes

Chapter Five: Politics: Old World Patronage

Chapter Six: Love Defeats Prudence

Chapter Seven: Exiled Where Women “stooped like country girls.”

Chapter Eight: A New Political Identity: “They” becomes “We”

Chapter Nine: “Unleash the Dogs of War”

Chapter Ten: Politics: New World Democracy

Chapter Eleven: America’s Female Politician

Chapter Twelve: Triumph and Tragedy

Bibliographical Essay

Notes

Index


“A love story worthy of William Shakespeare, a snapshot of family life in catastrophic times, and a guide to what went wrong between Britain and its American colonies from 1764 to 1783.”

—Edith Gelles, The William and Mary Quarterly

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