Betsy Mix Cowles

Stacey M. Robertson is the Oglesby Professor of American Heritage at Bradley University where she has taught since 1994. She is the author of Parker Pillsbury: Radical Abolitionist, Male Feminist, Hearts Beating for Liberty: Women Abolitionists in the Old Northwest, and Antebellum Women: Private, Public, and Political, co-authored with Carol Lasser. She is the recipient of many teaching awards and research fellowships and has lectured at dozens of different venues across the country. Series Editor Carol Berkin is a well-known women's historian and the author of many popular and scholarly books, including Civil War Wives. She is Professor of History Emerita at the Graduate centre of the City University of New York, and she is a member of the Society of American Historians.

"Robertson tells Cowles' story with fresh appreciation and information... Primary sources, notes, an annotated bibliography, and study questions add to the books' usefulness and interest." -Booklist Praise for the Lives of American Women series "Finally! The majority of students--by which I mean women--will have the opportunity to read biographies of women from our nation's past. (Men can read them too, of course!) The 'Lives of American Women' series features an eclectic collection of books, readily accessible to students who will be able to see the contributions of women in many fields over the course of our history. Long overdue, these books will be a valuable resource for teachers, students, and the public at large." -Cokie Roberts, author of Founding Mothers and Ladies of Liberty "Just what any professor wants: books that will intrigue, inform, and fascinate students! These short, readable biographies of American women--specifically designed for classroom use--give instructors an appealing new option to assign to their history students." -Mary Beth Norton, Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History, Cornell University "For educators keen to include women in the American story, but hampered by the lack of thoughtful, concise scholarship, here comes 'Lives of American Women,' embracing Abigail Adams's counsel to John--'remember the ladies.' And high time, too!" -Lesley S. Herrmann, Executive Director, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History "These books are, above all, fascinating stories that will engage and inspire readers. They offer a glimpse into the lives of key women in history who either defied tradition or who successfully maneuvered in a man's world to make an impact. The stories of these vital contributors to American history deliver just the right formula for instructors looking to provide a more complicated and nuanced view of history." -Rosanne Lichatin, 2005 Gilder Lehrman Preserve America History Teacher of the Year "Students both in the general survey course and in specialized offerings like my course on U.S. women's history can get a great understanding of an era from a short biography. Learning a lot about a single but complex character really helps to deepen appreciation of what women's lives were like in the past." -Patricia Cline Cohen, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Series Editor's Foreward Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Pious Pioneering: The Roots of Reform, 1810-1827 2. Growing Pains: Teaching and Single Life, 1827-1834 3. Beginning of Antislavery Commitment, 1834-1837 4. Oberlin College and the Power of Education, 1837-1840 5. The Maturation and Merging of Teaching and Antislavery, 1840-1850 6. Woman's Rights and Career Achievements: 1850-1860 7. The Civil War, Blindness, and Postwar Reform 1860-1872 Primary Sources Study Questions Notes Annotated Bibliography Index