Southern Women in Revolution, 1776-1800: Personal and Political Narratives

This volume offers readers a new approach to the social history of the American Revolution and a unique perspective on this period in southern women's history. Using ninety-eight petitions that women in North and South Carolina submitted to their state assemblies during or after the war, the author examines Southern women's wartime experiences and assesses their changing expectations for public and private life. The author brings together documents that are critical and compelling sources for Southern women's history. Collectively, these petitions constitute the largest body of women's writing about the American Revolution and its impact on civilian life. Divided into five chapters, each prefaced with a substantial interpretive essay, the book places the petitions in historical context, focusing on both the stories women told and the language they used when venturing into the public sphere to voice their concerns to their legislatures.