"Parts of this book were originally published as Good Women of a Well-Blessed Land, Women's Lives in Colonial America (Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing, 2003). It has been substantially revised, updated, and expanded"--Title page verso. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
The Natural Inhabitants -- In This New Discovered Virginia : Pocahontas, A Life in Two Worlds; Cecily Jordan Farrar, "Ancient Planter" of Virginia -- Goodwives to New England : Anne Hutchinson, "A Woman Unfit for Our Society;" Anne Dudley Bradstreet, Puritan Poet; The Captivity of Mary Rowlandson -- Weary, Weary, Weary, O : Elizabeth Ashbridge, From Indentured Servant to Quaker Preacher -- Up to Their Elbows in Housewifery : Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse, She-Merchant of New York; The Journey of Sarah Kemble Knight -- Daughters of Eve : Martha Corey, Accused of Witchcraft -- A Changing World : Eliza Lucas Pinckney, A Glimpse through Her Letterbook ; Eve, and Others, Belonging to the Randolphs; Christiana Campbell & Jane Vobe, Keeping a Busy Tavern -- A Tapestry of Lives.
Summary:
"Using a host of primary sources, author Brandon Marie Miller recounts the roles, hardships, and daily lives of Native American, European, and African women in 17th- and 18th-century colonial America. Hard work proved a constant for most women--they ensured their family's survival through their skills while others sold their labor or lived in bondage as indentured servants and slaves. Even in this world defined entirely by men, a world where no one thought it important to record a female's thoughts, women found ways to step forth. Elizabeth Ashbridge survived an abusive indenture to become a Quaker preacher. Anne Bradstreet penned epic poetry while raising eight children in the wilderness. Anne Hutchinson went toe-to-toe with Puritan authorities. Margaret Hardenbroeck Philipse built a trade empire in New Amsterdam. Martha Corey lost her life in the vortex of Salem's witch hunt. And Eve, a Virginia slave, twice ran away to freedom. With strength, courage, resilience, and resourcefulness, these women and many others played a vital role in the mosaic of life in colonial America"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.