The American Girl Goes to War: Women and National Identity in U.S. Silent Film

During the 1910s, films about war often featured a female protagonist. The films portrayed women as spies, cross—dressing soldiers, and athletic defenders of their homes—roles typically reserved for men and that contradicted gendered—expectations of home—front women waiting for their husbands, sons, and brothers to return from battle. The representation of American martial spirit—particularly in the form of heroines—has a rich history in film in the years just prior to the American entry in...