In Votes For Women; Jean H. Baker has assembled an impressive collection of new scholarship on the struggle of American women for the suffrage. Each of the eleven essays illuminates some aspect of the long battle that lasted from the 1850s to the passage of the suffrage amendment in 1920. From the movement's antecedents in the minds of women like Mary Wollstonecraft and Frances Wright; to the historic gathering at Seneca Falls in 1848; to the civil disobedience during World War I orchestrated by the National Woman's Party; the essential elements of this tumultuous story emerge in these finely-tuned chapters. So too do the themes and historical controversies about suffrage and its leaders; including Susan B. Anthony; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Sojourner Truth; and Alice Paul. Contributors focus on how the suffrage battle was interwoven with constitutional issues at the federal and state level and how the suffrage struggle played out in different regions; especially the West and the South; as well as the activities of opponents to women's voting. Baker's introductory essay sets the stage for revisiting suffrage by making explicit the similarities and differences in interpretations of suffrage and shows how the movement intersected with other events in American history and cannot be studied in isolation from them. This volume is essential reading for those interested in American politics and women's formal participation in it.
#824126 in Books 1997-08-21 1997-08-21Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x .60 x 9.10l; .80 #File Name: 0195109333256 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent scholarly examination of rhetoric in different cultures; with cross-cultural and historical perspectivesBy E. JakseticThe author; a professor with several books on classical rhetoric; provides an insightful; scholarly review of the early history of rhetoric in different cultures. The author draws on his expertise in classical rhetoric to discuss rhetorical traditions in different cultures; and give the reader many insights and thought-provoking ideas about similarities and differences between and among the various rhetorical traditions.Apart from Prologue and Conclusions sections; the author divides the book chapters into two general sections: one section about rhetoric in cultures without writing; and one section about rhetoric in ancient literate cultures.In the first two chapters; the author considers animal communication from a rhetorical perspective; and opines about how rhetorical factors could have affected the origin and early development of human language. Although interesting; these two chapters are the weakest parts of the book because they involve subjects that are far afield from the author's expertise in classical rhetoric. In the three other chapters about rhetoric in cultures without writing; the author explores rhetoric in Aboriginal Australian culture; in several nonliterate cultures; and in North American Indian culture. The chapters about rhetoric in ancient literate cultures explore rhetoric in Ancient Near East culture; in Ancient Chinese culture; in Ancient Asian Indian culture; and in Ancient Greece and Rome. The chapters on rhetoric in various cultures are the heart of the book; and benefit greatly from the author's expertise in classical rhetoric.The book is scholarly in nature and requires a reader to devote time and careful attention to understand and follow the author's observations; arguments; and conclusions. But; the quality of the author's scholarly work and thinking makes it a worthwhile investment of time and effort for any reader interested in a scholarly exploration of rhetoric from a cross-cultural and historical perspective. It would be helpful for a reader to have prior knowledge about; or experience with; classical rhetoric; anthropology; or early world history.18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. A succinct primer for anyone interested in communication.By A CustomerAlthough Kennedy's background as a classical rhetorician would leave most wondering what he might have to say about comparative rhetorics; he treats a broad range of topics in; if not an exhaustive fashion; then in a way that opens the reader's mind to differences and similarities in culture and history. Kennedy has an unconventional view of rhetoric. One of the major premises the book operates on is that rhetoric drives and precedes communication instead of the other way round. An examination of this is included in a section on animal communication. If I were teaching a intercultural communications or a survey of rhetoric course it would be near the top of my students' reading list. Additionally; there is information here of interest to historians and anthropologists. Well worth reading.
