American Women Colonial

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Literally and metaphorically, the settlement of the New World wrought a sea change in the lives of those who experienced it. In To Comfort the Heart Paula Treckel explores the meaning of that change to the English, Native American, and African women in England's North American colonies. Focusing on the experience of English "huswives" and indentured servants, she reveals how their actions and expectations, as well as their relationships with women of other races and cultures, were shaped by Old World perceptions ...
See more details below
Hardcover
$48.00
BN.com price
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (1) from $28.85   
  • Used (1) from $28.85   
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Literally and metaphorically, the settlement of the New World wrought a sea change in the lives of those who experienced it. In To Comfort the Heart Paula Treckel explores the meaning of that change to the English, Native American, and African women in England's North American colonies. Focusing on the experience of English "huswives" and indentured servants, she reveals how their actions and expectations, as well as their relationships with women of other races and cultures, were shaped by Old World perceptions of woman's appropriate role. The women who journeyed aboard ship from Old World to New, alone or with their families, found waiting for them both unaccustomed hardship and opportunity. The formidable task of settling and then surviving on the frontier was a collaborative enterprise in which the work of women was as necessary and sought after - if not always as valued once attained - as that of men. Once seen by some historians as a kind of "golden age" for women's rights, the colonial period in America presented frontier women with freedoms and responsibilities unprecedented in England - to choose their husbands, manage their households, enter into business dealings, and own property. Some women embraced these opportunities, but most longed for the security of their prescribed Old World roles. Struggling to re-create the world they left behind, they saw themselves as "civilizers" of the wilderness. Treckel also relates the lesser-known stories of those women in colonial America who had no measurable "freedoms" at all - Native American and African women. She describes how the Western European perception of woman's role contributed to their denigration and how they fought to defend and preserve their cultures in the face of destruction and enslavement.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780805799170
  • Publisher: Cengage Gale
  • Publication date: 5/28/1996
  • Series: Twayne's History of Women Series
  • Pages: 304
  • Product dimensions: 5.74 (w) x 8.79 (h) x 1.07 (d)

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Ch. 1 English Women and English Families 1
Ch. 2 From the Old World to the New 27
Ch. 3 The Colonial "Huswife" 74
Ch. 4 Women's Rights and the Law 129
Ch. 5 Women and Religion 160
Afterword 196
Notes 199
Bibliographical Essay 247
Index 261
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)