How the Personal Became Political In the Fight to Grant Women Civil RightsThey forever changed America: Lucy Stone; Susan B. Anthony; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Frances Willard; Alice Paul. At their revolution's start in the 1840s; a woman's right to speak in public was questioned. By its conclusion in 1920; the victory in woman's suffrage had also encompassed the most fundamental rights of citizenship: the right to control wages; hold property; to contract; to sue; to testify in court. Their struggle was confrontational (women were the first to picket the White House for a political cause) and violent (women were arrested; jailed; and force-fed in prisons). And like every revolutionary before them; their struggle was personal.For the first time; the eminent historian Jean H. Baker tellingly interweaves these women's private lives with their public achievements; presenting these revolutionary women in three dimensions; humanized; and marvelously approachable.
#621403 in Books Hill and Wang 1983-03-01 1983-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .3 x 5.50l; .57 #File Name: 0809001543288 pagesCondition: Used - Average
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. From Localism to Centralization!By Kevin Currie-KnightAs a graduate student in Education; I must say that Pillars of the Republic is an essential read. While there have been a few different histories of American public education; Kaestle's is the first I know of to focus exclusively on the early period of American history (starting in 1780).The first several chapters focus on the educational outlets in the early founding-and-shortly-thereafter period; when children of the rich and middling classes were generally educated in small and roughshod schools that were often supported both by local taxes and parent tuition. These schools generally had short terms; were not divided by grade level; and had curricula consisting of the teacher instructing students with books brought from students' homes. The middle chapters cover the period (early 1800's) where the states and localities argued with the question of how to educate more students (particularly of the working class and immigrants). More schools were set up (supported by local property taxes) in a quest to educate a larger segment of students. The book's last chapters focus on the middle 1800's - where there was an increasing zeal for standardization of quality in schools and more state control. "Normal schools" were established to teach instructional methods to teachers; the office of State Superintendent was invented; and localities lost more and more control of schooling in favor of state control; which was not without serious dissent from democrats of the Jeffersonian tradition.Through it all; Kaestle writes in a very readable style while never glossing over any detail. Nothing that he says goes without being backed up by evidence; be it quotes from a source or statistics from the time. As another reviewer notes; the book is certainly academic and probably not for the casual reader but; at the same time; it can easily be read by the interested and motivated layreader.What was of most interest to me was the story of a nation founded on the idea of skepticism toward centralized government slowly evolving a more and more standardized education system. Kaestle lets us see both sides of this historic debate: those who were for centralization as a means of guaranteeing consistency in education; and those against centralization as a violation of the localism America was (in part) founded on.A very interesting book that no one interested in educational history should miss. For a good read that; in some way; picks up where Pillars of the Republic leaves off is An Elusive Science: The Troubling History of Education Research; which starts in the early 20th century and deals with the "professionalization" of schooling and the "scientizing" of pedagogy.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great for educatorsBy TMGood comprehensive overview of the history of American schools. It is not the most engaging writing style; but the amount of time and energy put into researching it is amazing. This will give anybody an idea of how public schools got started.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Solid bookBy DaleThis book provides a solid overview of the foundations of education in the United States. It is a must need for any education course to set down the roots of education.
