The Women's Movements in the United States and Britain from t... - 9781138475519

Taylor & Francis

Presents a study of the development of the feminist movement in Britain and America during the 19th century. The author suggests that the story of the British and American women's movement is one of national distinctiveness within an international cause. > \nThis concise and accessible book explores the history of gender in England between 1500 and 1700. Amidst the political and religious disruptions of the Reformation and the Civil War, sexual difference and gender were matters of public debate and private contention. \nLaura Gowing provides unique insight into gender relations in a time of flux, through sources ranging from the women who tried to vote in Ipswich in 1640, to the dreams of Archbishop Laud and a grandmother describing the first time her grandson wore breeches. Examining gender relations in the contexts of the body, the house, the neighbourhood and the political world, this comprehensive study analyses the tides of change and the power of custom in a pre-modern worl;