Full Description
In 1782, J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur wrote, "What then, is the American, this new man? He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced." In casting aside their European mores, these pioneers, de Crèvecoeur implied, were the very embodiment of a new culture, society, economy, and political system. But to what extent did manliness shape early America's character and institutions? And what roles did race, ethnicity, and class play in forming masculinity?
Thomas A. Foster and his contributors grapple with these questions in New Men, showcasing how colonial and Revolutionary conditions gave rise to new standards of British American manliness. Focusing on Indian, African, and European masculinities in British America from earliest Jamestown through the Revolutionary era, and addressing such topics that range from slavery to philanthropy, and from satire to warfare, the essays in this anthology collectively demonstrate how the economic, political, social, cultural, and religious conditions of early America shaped and were shaped by ideals of masculinity.
Contributors: Susan Abram, Tyler Boulware, Kathleen Brown, Trevor Burnard, Toby L. Ditz, Carolyn Eastman, Benjamin Irvin, Janet Moore Lindman, John Gilbert McCurdy, Mary Beth Norton, Ann Marie Plane, Jessica Choppin Roney, and Natalie A. Zacek.
Contents
Preface Mary Beth Norton Acknowledgments Introduction: New Men Thomas A. FosterPart I. Settlement 1 Gentlemen and Soldiers John Gilbert McCurdy 2 Indian and English Dreams Ann Marie PlanePart II. Warfare 3 "We are men" Tyler Boulware 4 Real Men Susan AbramPart III. Atlantic 5 "Blood and Lust" 6 "Banes of Society" and "Gentlemen of Strong Natural Parts" Natalie A. Zacek 7 "Impatient of Subordination" and "Liable to Sudden Transports of Anger" Trevor BurnardPart IV. Enactment 8 "Effective Men" and Early Voluntary Associations in Philadelphia, 1725-1775 Jessica Choppin Roney 9 "Strength of the Lion ... Arms Like Polished Iron" Kathleen M. BrownPart V. Revolution 10 Of Eloquence "Manly" and "Monstrous" Benjamin H. Irvin 11 John Adams and the Choice of Hercules Thomas A. Foster 12 "Play the Man ... for Your Bleeding Country" Revolutionary War Janet Moore Lindman Afterword: Contending Masculinities in Early America Toby L. Ditz About the Contributors Index
