Sexual revolution in early America / Richard Godbeer

Object Details

Author

Godbeer, Richard

Contents

Introduction : sex, marriage, and moral order in early America -- "Chambering and wantonising" : popular sexual mores in seventeenth-century New England -- "A complete body of divinity" : the Puritans and sex -- "Pregnant with the seeds of all sin" : regulating illicit sex in Puritan New England -- "Living in a state of nature" : sex, marriage, and southern degenerates -- The dangerous allure of "copper-coloured beauties" : Anglo-Indian sexual relations -- "The cameleon lover" : sex, race, and cultural identity in the colonial south -- "Under the watch" : the metamorphosis of sexual regulation in eighteenth-century New England -- "A hint to young ladies" : courtship, sexual danger, and moral agency in revolutionary America -- "Martyrdom to Venus" : sexual freedom in post-independence Philadelpha

Summary

In Sexual revolution in early America, Richard Godbeer boldly overturns conventional wisdom about the sexual values and customs of colonial Americans. His eye-opening historical account spans two centuries and most of British North America, from New England to the Caribbean, exploring the social, political, and legal dynamics that shaped a diverse sexual culture. Drawing on exhaustive research into diaries, letters, and other private papers, as well as legal records and official documents, Godbeer's absorbing narrative uncovers a persistent struggle between the moral authorities and the widespread expression of popular customs and individual urges. Godbeer begins with a discussion of the complex attitude that the Puritans had toward sexuality. Although believing that sex could be morally corrupting, they also considered it to be such an essential element of a healthy marriage that they excommunicated those who denied "conjugal fellowship" to their spouses. He next examines the ways in which race and class affected the debate about sexual mores, from anxieties about Anglo-Indian sexual relations to the sense of sexual entitlement that planters held over their African slaves. He concludes by detailing the fundamental shift in sexual culture during the eighteenth century towards the acceptance of a more individualistic concept of sexual desire and fulfillment. Today's moral critics, in their attempts to convince Americans of the social and spiritual consequences of unregulated sexual behavior, often harken back to a more innocent age; as this groundbreaking work makes clear, America's sexual culture has always been rich, vibrant, and contentious.

2002

To 1775

Type

Books

Physical description

xii, 430 p. : ill. ; 25 cm

Place

United States

North America

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic

Sex customs--History

Sex role--History

Social life and customs

Record ID

siris_sil_717600

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0