Southern Women: Black and White in the Old South

As Sally G. McMillen puts it, "scholars... long assumed that events defined and participated in by men were all that counted" (2). McMillen was very thorough in her research to find out more about the oft overlooked roles of women, and she presents her findings in her book, "Southern Women: Black and White in the Old South." Although historians have been studying women's roles in early American history since the early 1970s, McMillen's "Southern Women" was first published just fifteen years ago, evidence that the study of women's history is still in its infancy. The goal of her study is to examine the lives of black and white southern women from 1800 to the end of the Civil War in 1865. Although all southern women shared similar responsibilities as wives, mothers, laborers, and churchgoers, their individual female experiences varied significantly depending on their race, class, and the region of the south in which they lived. If you're interested in the roles of women in the pre-Civil War southern colonies, this book is a great resource.