Nancy A. Hewitt
Auteur van Women, Families, and Communities, Volume I, to 1877: Readings in American History
Over de Auteur
Nancy A. Hewitt is a professor of history and women's and gender studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Her books include Women's Activism and Social Change: Rochester, New York, 1822-1872; Southern Discomfort: Women's Activism in Tampa, Florida, 1880s-1920s; and A Companion to American toon meer Women's History. toon minder
Werken van Nancy A. Hewitt
Women, Families, and Communities, Volume I, to 1877: Readings in American History (1997) 36 exemplaren
Talking Gender: Public Images, Personal Journeys, and Political Critique (1996) — Redacteur — 11 exemplaren
Exploring American Histories V2 & LaunchPad for Exploring American Histories V2 (Access Card) (2013) 2 exemplaren
Gerelateerde werken
Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women's History [1st edition] (1990) — Medewerker — 291 exemplaren
Who Built America?: Working People and the Nation's Economy, Politics, Culture, and Society: Volume One (1989) — sommige edities — 126 exemplaren
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Of the city, Hewitt writes, “For Amy Post, her first five years in Rochester transformed her activism in crucial ways. Within a year, she was contributing to and signing petitions circulated by organizations dominated by non-Quakers. Moreover, despite the fact that she was still bearing and raising children, Amy devoted more time to the abolitionist cause than ever before” (pg. 89). Further, “As more Hicksites, including the Posts and Asa and Haldah Anthony, migrated to Rochester, they joined the ranks of Underground Railroad conductors. They shared this sacred labor not only with black neighbors but also with white evangelicals” (pg. 107-108). In discussing issues of women’s suffrage, Hewitt writes, “For radical Quakers as for Douglass, the Seneca Falls convention served not as an introduction to women’s rights but as another step in the long fight for sex equality. Others in attendance were addressing these issues for the first time, at least in public. To ensure that these women were heard, the discussion on the first day was reserved for women” (pg. 127). Turning to the later Rochester Convention, Hewitt writes, “Many of the central issues were laid out at Seneca Falls, with Rochester activists heightening attention to both working-class women and women of color. The Rochester organizers also ensured that women would preside over the movement, continuing to chair conventions from Ohio to Massachusetts” (pg. 135). In this, Hewitt deepens the analysis she began in her 1984 monograph, Women’s Activism and Social Change: Rochester, New York, 1822-1872.
Summarizing the pre-Civil War period, Hewitt writes, “Between 1843 and 1853, [Post] had been a central figure in some of the most important and innovative movements of the era: abolition, women’s rights, temperance, health reform, spiritualism, and the Progressive Friends… She was fortunate in her ability to integrate her radical vision into her domestic life, due largely to the loving partnership she had forged with Isaac and the political engagement of many family members” (pg. 192). Discussing revolutionary violence, Hewitt writes, “John Brown’s raid in 1859 and the eruption of civil war in 1861 would highlight…difference: Isaac spoke out against any use of force to solve the nation’s crisis, whereas Amy now agreed with Nell that a resort to arms might be justified if it led to the eradication of slavery… Whatever their differences, the Posts continued to move seamlessly across gendered spheres and racial boundaries in their promotion of practical righteousness” (pg. 194-195). While the Civil War resulted in great strides for racial equality, it also caused a split between abolitionists and women’s suffragists.
Discussing debates over capital punishment, Hewitt examines the case of Ira Stout. She writes, “On 20 December 1857, Rochester police found the body of Charles W. Littles, a local lawyer, and in January arrested his wife, Sarah, and her brother, Ira Stout. The investigation dragged on through the winter, with trials finally set for mid-April 1858” (pg. 217). Though radical Friends were as aghast at the crime as other Rochesterians, they opposed the death penalty in capital crimes on moral grounds. Hewitt writes, “On 9 October [1858], activists gathered to denounce capital punishment ‘with special reference to the case of Ira Stout’” (pg. 218). Though an isolated example, this incident further illustrates the nineteenth-century activism that Hewitt studies in her monograph.
Hewitt concludes, “The life of Amy Kirby Post illuminates the remarkable effects that one ordinary woman – a wife and mother, a sister and F/friend, an activist and a conductor – had on transforming the world through the steady application of radical principles and practical righteousness. She embraced a series of ideas and movements – Progressive Quakerism, abolition, racial equality, interracial friendships, women’s rights, religious liberty, spiritualism, free speech, and universal suffrage – each of which challenged conventional wisdom and inspired society’s condemnation” (pg. 293). Finally, “While the memory of Amy Kirby Post was lost to us for generations, her spirit lives on in all those who speak against systemic racism and gender inequality and demand democratic structures and personal and religious liberty. Post’s dedication to understanding the interwoven character of these issues and to forging bonds across movements is as critical today as it was in her own time” (pg. 294). Historians of activism, New York State, and more will find this an invaluable resource as will those who seek a better understanding of the critical thought of the nineteenth century.… (meer)