Reforming Women

The Rhetorical Tactics of the American Female Moral Reform Society, 1834-1854

Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Reforming Women by Lisa J. Shaver, University of Pittsburgh Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lisa J. Shaver ISBN: 9780822986461
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press Publication: January 22, 2019
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press Language: English
Author: Lisa J. Shaver
ISBN: 9780822986461
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication: January 22, 2019
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
Language: English

In Reforming Women, Lisa Shaver locates the emergence of a distinct women’s rhetoric and feminist consciousness in the American Female Moral Reform Society. Established in 1834, the society took aim at prostitution, brothels, and the lascivious behavior increasingly visible in America’s industrializing cities. In particular, female moral reformers contested the double standard that overlooked promiscuous behavior in men while harshly condemning women for the same offense. Their ardent rhetoric resonated with women across the country. With its widely-read periodical and auxiliary societies representing more than 50,000 women, the American Female Moral Reform Society became the first national reform movement organized, led, and comprised solely by women.

Drawing on an in-depth examination of the group’s periodical, Reforming Women delineates essential rhetorical tactics including women’s strategic use of gender, the periodical press, anger, presence, auxiliary societies, and institutional rhetoric—tactics women’s reform efforts would use throughout the nineteenth century. Almost two centuries later, female moral reformers’ rhetoric resonates today as our society continues to struggle with different moral expectations for men and women.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In Reforming Women, Lisa Shaver locates the emergence of a distinct women’s rhetoric and feminist consciousness in the American Female Moral Reform Society. Established in 1834, the society took aim at prostitution, brothels, and the lascivious behavior increasingly visible in America’s industrializing cities. In particular, female moral reformers contested the double standard that overlooked promiscuous behavior in men while harshly condemning women for the same offense. Their ardent rhetoric resonated with women across the country. With its widely-read periodical and auxiliary societies representing more than 50,000 women, the American Female Moral Reform Society became the first national reform movement organized, led, and comprised solely by women.

Drawing on an in-depth examination of the group’s periodical, Reforming Women delineates essential rhetorical tactics including women’s strategic use of gender, the periodical press, anger, presence, auxiliary societies, and institutional rhetoric—tactics women’s reform efforts would use throughout the nineteenth century. Almost two centuries later, female moral reformers’ rhetoric resonates today as our society continues to struggle with different moral expectations for men and women.

More books from University of Pittsburgh Press

Cover of the book Orbit by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Insomnia Diary by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Babel by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Questions About Angels by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Hyperboreal by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book The Homestead Strike of 1892 by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Daughter of the Cold War by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Race and the Chilean Miracle by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book The Double Truth by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Global Transformations in the Life Sciences, 1945–1980 by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Science as It Could Have Been by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Lake Michigan by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book On the End of Privacy by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book Beyond the Pulpit by Lisa J. Shaver
Cover of the book All-Night Lingo Tango by Lisa J. Shaver
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy