The Women's Movements in the United States and Britain from the 1790s to the 1920s
Paperback
Release Date:26 Aug 1993
ISBN:9780870238673
The Women's Movements in the United States and Britain from the 1790s to the 1920s
University of Massachusetts Press
This book offers a comprehensive history of the women's movements in the United States and Britain from the late eighteenth century through the 1920s, detailing both similarities and differences. In each country, organized feminism developed from similar social conditions: a shared heritage of Enlightenment ideas, a relative expansion of political rights, the spread of industrialization and urbanization, the growth of an influential middle class, and the presence of a predominantly Protestant culture. In addition, women of both nations pursued similar objectives and experienced similar obstacles in their pursuit of equality.
As Christine Bolt shows, however, there were important distinctions. Americans were inspired by their own perception of the superiority of their social circumstances, the greater strength and boldness of their movement, and the greater freedom and respect accorded them. In contrast, the cause of British feminism was vastly complicated by issues of class, and British women often used different means to achieve reform.
As Christine Bolt shows, however, there were important distinctions. Americans were inspired by their own perception of the superiority of their social circumstances, the greater strength and boldness of their movement, and the greater freedom and respect accorded them. In contrast, the cause of British feminism was vastly complicated by issues of class, and British women often used different means to achieve reform.
Absorbing and persuasive . . . . We have very few such comparative studies, and Bolt's original research coupled with her peerless synthesis of current scholarship marks this book as a milestone in women's history . . . . Her firm grasp of the historical context for both nations' movements--a remarkable feat given the substantial body of scholarship on women's lives that has appeared over the past two decades--enables her to provide a deftly balanced and realistic account.'—Joyce Avrech Berkman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Christine Bolt is professor of American history at the University of Kent at Canterbury. Her books include The Anti-Slavery Movement and Reconstructionism: A Study of Anglo-American Cooperation, 1833-1877, and Victorian Attitudes to Race.
