Merril D. Smith – författare

In Colonial America, the lives of white immigrant, black slave, and American Indian women intersected. Economic, religious, social, and political forces all combined to induce and promote European colonization and the growth of slavery and the slave trade during this period. This volume provides the essential overview of American women's lives in the seventeenth century, as the dominant European settlers established their patriarchy. Women were essential to the existence of a new patriarchal society, most importantly because they were necessary for its reproduction. In addition to their roles as wives and mothers, Colonial women took care of the house and household by cooking, preserving food, sewing, spinning, tending gardens, taking care of sick or injured members of the household, and many other tasks. Students and general readers will learn about women's roles in the family, women and the law, women and immigration, women's work, women and religion, women and war, and women and education. literature, and recreation.The narrative chapters in this volume focus on women, particularly white women, within the eastern region of the current United States, the site of the first colonies. Chapter 1 discusses women's roles within the family and household and how women's experiences in the various colonies differed. Chapter 2 considers women and the law and roles in courts and as victims of crime. Chapter 3 looks at women and immigration—those who came with families or as servants or slaves. Women's work is the subject of Chapter 4. The focus is work within the home, preparing food, sewing, taking care of children, and making household goods, or as businesswomen or midwives. Women and religion are discussed in Chapter 5. Chapter 6 examines women's role in war. Women's education is one focus of Chapter 7. Few Colonial women could read but most women did receive an education in the arts of housewifery. Chapter 7 also looks at women's contributions to literature and their leisure time. Few women were free to pursue literary endeavors, but many expressed their creativity through handiwork. A chronology, selected bibliography, and historical illustrations accompany the text.

Rape has been perpetrated throughout history and worldwide, and today ours has been called a rape culture, because sexual violence, mainly against women and children, is prevalent and tolerated to some extent. The Encyclopedia of Rape offers 185 entries in an A-to-Z essay format covering the historical scope and magnitude of the issue in the United States and globally. Written by a host of scholars from diverse fields, it provides informed perspectives on the key dimensions of the topic, from concepts, social movements, offenders, high-profile cases, legislation, influential activists, landmark texts, and victimology to representations in literature and art. This solid, accessible ready-reference will allow students and the general reader to contextualize current events and reading and viewing in history, literature and the Bible, film, art history, gender studies, psychology, criminology, popular culture, and more.Rape is a topic of perpetual relevance and remains deeply controversial, as it involves the sexual act. Although women are the primary targets of rape and thus the focus of discussion of it, the rape of men, children, and animals is also considered in the encyclopedia. Up to date, it contains insight on the manifestations of rape today, including as a tool of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and genocide in Rwanda, the Catholic Church priest scandals, and drug-facilitated date rape. Added value comes from an abundance of statistics, suggested reading for further research per entry, chronology, resource guide, and appendix listing entries by topic.

This book offers a look at how the lives of women changed in the era when the United States emerged.Spanning the broad spectrum of Colonial-era life, Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America is a revealing exploration of how 18-century American women of various races, classes, and religions were affected by conditions of the times—war, slavery, religious awakenings, political change, perceptions about gender—as well as how they influenced the world around them. Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America covers the area of North America that became the United States and follows the transformation of the British colonies into a new nation. The book is organized thematically to examine marriage and the family, the law, work, travel, war, religion, and education and the arts. Each chapter combines current research and primary sources to offer authoritative portraits of real lives of the everyday women during this pivotal early era in our history.

This book offers a look at how the lives of women changed in the era when the United States emerged.Spanning the broad spectrum of Colonial-era life, Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America is a revealing exploration of how 18-century American women of various races, classes, and religions were affected by conditions of the times—war, slavery, religious awakenings, political change, perceptions about gender—as well as how they influenced the world around them. Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America covers the area of North America that became the United States and follows the transformation of the British colonies into a new nation. The book is organized thematically to examine marriage and the family, the law, work, travel, war, religion, and education and the arts. Each chapter combines current research and primary sources to offer authoritative portraits of real lives of the everyday women during this pivotal early era in our history.

Ideal for American history and food history students as well as general readers, this book spans 500 years of cooking in what is now the United States, supplying recipes and covering the "how" and "why" of eating.This book examines the history and practice of cooking in what is now the United States from approximately the 15th century to the present day, covering everything from the hot-stone cooking techniques of the Nootka people of the Pacific Northwest to the influence of Crisco—a shortening product intended as a substitute for lard—upon American cooking in the 20th century. Learning how American cooking has evolved throughout the centuries provides valuable insights into life in the past and offers hints to our future.The author describes cooking methods used throughout American history, spotlighting why particular methods were used and how they were used to produce particular dishes. The historical presentation of information will be particularly useful to high school students studying U.S. history and learning about how wartime and new technology affects life across society. General readers will enjoy learning about the topics mentioned above, as well as the in-depth discussions of such dishes as fried chicken, donuts, and Thanksgiving turkey. Numerous sample recipes are also included.

Ideal for American history and food history students as well as general readers, this book spans 500 years of cooking in what is now the United States, supplying recipes and covering the "how" and "why" of eating.This book examines the history and practice of cooking in what is now the United States from approximately the 15th century to the present day, covering everything from the hot-stone cooking techniques of the Nootka people of the Pacific Northwest to the influence of Crisco—a shortening product intended as a substitute for lard—upon American cooking in the 20th century. Learning how American cooking has evolved throughout the centuries provides valuable insights into life in the past and offers hints to our future.The author describes cooking methods used throughout American history, spotlighting why particular methods were used and how they were used to produce particular dishes. The historical presentation of information will be particularly useful to high school students studying U.S. history and learning about how wartime and new technology affects life across society. General readers will enjoy learning about the topics mentioned above, as well as the in-depth discussions of such dishes as fried chicken, donuts, and Thanksgiving turkey. Numerous sample recipes are also included.

Boobs. Tits. Hooters. Knockers. Jugs. Breasts. We celebrate them; we revile them. They nourish us; they kill us. And regardless of what we call them, breasts have fascinated us since prehistoric times. This A-to-Z encyclopedia explores the historical magnitude and cultural significance of the breast over time and around the world.A team of international scholars from various disciplines provides key insights and information about the breast in art, history, fashion, social movements, medicine, sexuality, and more. Entries discuss depictions of breasts on ancient figurines, in Renaissance paintings, and in present-day advertisements. They examine how fashion has emphasized or de-emphasized the breast at various times. They tackle medical issues—such as breast augmentation and breast cancer—and controversies over breastfeeding. The breast as sexual object and even a site of smuggling are also covered. As a whole, the Cultural Encyclopedia of the Breast takes an engaging and accessible look at this notable body part.

"In Breaking The Bonds, Merril Smith establishes the ambitious goal of determining 'what kind of problems arose in troubled marriages' and of analyzing 'how men and women coped with marital discord.' . . . To accomplish this, Smith studied hundreds of divorce petitions, other legal documents, newspapers, almshouse dockets, and prescriptive literature. She concludes that, as in the present day, married couples fought and parted over sex, money, and abuse."—Pennsylvania History"A richly textured study. . . With an eye to cross-class and cross-race representation, Smith utilizes diverse sources, including memoirs and diaries, correspondence, probate records, newspaper advertisements, depositions and petitions for divorce, and various moral reform and social regulatory organization records. . . . A brave attempt to write a description of 'the development of the Puritan concept of spirtiual growth.' . . . Gracefully written. . . provides specific new insights into a too-neglected area of early republican domestic politics."—William and Mary QuarterlyThe late eighteenth century marked a period of changing expectations about marriage: companionship came to coexist as a norm alongside older patriarchal standards, men and women began to see their roles in more disparate ways, expectations about the satisfaction of marriage grew, and gender distinctions between husbands and wives became more complicated. Marital strife was an inevitable outcome of these changing expectations. The difficulties that rose, including abuse, a lack of sexual communication, and domestic violence (frequently brought on by alcholism) differ little from those with which couples struggle today.Breaking The Bonds is an imaginative and original account that brings to light a strongly communicative world in which neighbors knew of, dinscussed, and even came to the aid of those locked in unhappy marriages.

"In Breaking The Bonds, Merril Smith establishes the ambitious goal of determining 'what kind of problems arose in troubled marriages' and of analyzing 'how men and women coped with marital discord.' . . . To accomplish this, Smith studied hundreds of divorce petitions, other legal documents, newspapers, almshouse dockets, and prescriptive literature. She concludes that, as in the present day, married couples fought and parted over sex, money, and abuse."—Pennsylvania History"A richly textured study. . . With an eye to cross-class and cross-race representation, Smith utilizes diverse sources, including memoirs and diaries, correspondence, probate records, newspaper advertisements, depositions and petitions for divorce, and various moral reform and social regulatory organization records. . . . A brave attempt to write a description of 'the development of the Puritan concept of spirtiual growth.' . . . Gracefully written. . . provides specific new insights into a too-neglected area of early republican domestic politics."—William and Mary QuarterlyThe late eighteenth century marked a period of changing expectations about marriage: companionship came to coexist as a norm alongside older patriarchal standards, men and women began to see their roles in more disparate ways, expectations about the satisfaction of marriage grew, and gender distinctions between husbands and wives became more complicated. Marital strife was an inevitable outcome of these changing expectations. The difficulties that rose, including abuse, a lack of sexual communication, and domestic violence (frequently brought on by alcholism) differ little from those with which couples struggle today.Breaking The Bonds is an imaginative and original account that brings to light a strongly communicative world in which neighbors knew of, dinscussed, and even came to the aid of those locked in unhappy marriages.

What role did sexual assault play in the conquest of America? How did American attitudes toward female sexuality evolve, and how was sexuality regulated in the early Republic?Sex and sexuality have always been the subject of much attention, both scholarly and popular. Yet, accounts of the early years of the United States tend to overlook the importance of their influence on the shaping of American culture. Sex and Sexuality in Early America addresses this neglected topic with original research covering a wide spectrum, from sexual behavior to sexual perceptions and imagery. Focusing on the period between the initial contact of Europeans and Native Americans up to 1800, the essays encompass all of colonial North America, including the Caribbean and Spanish territories.Challenging previous assumptions, these essays address such topics as rape as a tool of conquest; perceptions and responses to Native American sexuality; fornication, bastardy, celibacy, and religion in colonial New England; gendered speech in captivity narratives; representations of masculinity in eighteenth- century seduction tales, the sexual cosmos of a southern planter, and sexual transgression and madness in early American fiction. The contributors include Stephanie Wood, Gordon Sayre, Steven Neuwirth, Else L. Hambleton, Erik R. Seeman, Richard Godbeer, Trevor Burnard, Natalie A. Zacek, Wayne Bodle, Heather Smyth, Rodney Hessinger, and Karen A. Weyler.

What role did sexual assault play in the conquest of America? How did American attitudes toward female sexuality evolve, and how was sexuality regulated in the early Republic?Sex and sexuality have always been the subject of much attention, both scholarly and popular. Yet, accounts of the early years of the United States tend to overlook the importance of their influence on the shaping of American culture. Sex and Sexuality in Early America addresses this neglected topic with original research covering a wide spectrum, from sexual behavior to sexual perceptions and imagery. Focusing on the period between the initial contact of Europeans and Native Americans up to 1800, the essays encompass all of colonial North America, including the Caribbean and Spanish territories.Challenging previous assumptions, these essays address such topics as rape as a tool of conquest; perceptions and responses to Native American sexuality; fornication, bastardy, celibacy, and religion in colonial New England; gendered speech in captivity narratives; representations of masculinity in eighteenth- century seduction tales, the sexual cosmos of a southern planter, and sexual transgression and madness in early American fiction. The contributors include Stephanie Wood, Gordon Sayre, Steven Neuwirth, Else L. Hambleton, Erik R. Seeman, Richard Godbeer, Trevor Burnard, Natalie A. Zacek, Wayne Bodle, Heather Smyth, Rodney Hessinger, and Karen A. Weyler.

A group of men rape an intoxicated fifteen year old girl to "make a woman of her." An immigrant woman is raped after accepting a ride from a stranger. A young mother is accosted after a neighbor escorts her home. In another case, a college frat party is the scene of the crime. Although these incidents appear similar to accounts one can read in the newspapers almost any day in the United States, only the last one occurred in this century. Each, however, involved a woman or girl compelled to have sex against her will.Sex without Consent explores the experience, prosecution, and meaning of rape in American history from the time of the early contact between Europeans and Native Americans to the present. By exploring what rape meant in particular times and places in American history, from interracial encounters due to colonization and slavery to rape on contemporary college campuses, the contributors add to our understanding of crime and punishment, as well as to gender relations, gender roles, and sexual politics.

A group of men rape an intoxicated fifteen year old girl to "make a woman of her." An immigrant woman is raped after accepting a ride from a stranger. A young mother is accosted after a neighbor escorts her home. In another case, a college frat party is the scene of the crime. Although these incidents appear similar to accounts one can read in the newspapers almost any day in the United States, only the last one occurred in this century. Each, however, involved a woman or girl compelled to have sex against her will.Sex without Consent explores the experience, prosecution, and meaning of rape in American history from the time of the early contact between Europeans and Native Americans to the present. By exploring what rape meant in particular times and places in American history, from interracial encounters due to colonization and slavery to rape on contemporary college campuses, the contributors add to our understanding of crime and punishment, as well as to gender relations, gender roles, and sexual politics.

This two-volume set brings to life the daily thoughts and routines of men and women—rich and poor, of various cultures, religions, races, and beliefs—during a time of great political, social, economic, and legal turmoil.What was life really like for ordinary people during the American Revolution? What did they eat, wear, believe in, and think about? What did they do for fun? This encyclopedia explores the lives of men, women, and children—of European, Native American, and African descent—through the window of social, cultural, and material history. The two-volume set spans the period from 1774 to 1800, drawing on the most current research to illuminate people's emotional lives, interactions, opinions, views, beliefs, and intimate relationships, as well as connections between the individual and the greater world. The encyclopedia features more than 200 entries divided into topical sections, each dealing with a different aspect of cultural life—for example, Arts, Food and Drink, and Politics and Warfare. Each section opens with an introductory essay, followed by A–Z entries on various aspects of the subject area. Sidebars and primary documents enhance the learning experience. Targeting high school and college students, the title supports the American history core curriculum and the current emphasis on social history. Most importantly, its focus on the realities of daily life, rather than on dates and battles, will help students identify with and learn about this formative period of American history.

This two-volume set provides an authoritative overview of rape and other forms of sexual violence, containing the latest information about victims and perpetrators; events, laws, and trends related to sexual violence; and attitudes toward it.This encyclopedia will help readers to develop a deeper understanding of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the United States and around the world. Content illuminates all aspects of this serious issue, including the forms of trauma experienced by survivors/victims; different types of rape, from incest to acquaintance rape to prison rape; specific cases, events, and controversies; laws, policies, movements, and organizations pertaining to the issue; and legal, political, and cultural contributors to rape and other forms of sexual violence.Encyclopedia of Rape and Sexual Violence follows an A–Z format, but instead of comprising brief overview entries, it features twenty chapters, each of which is a long-form entry that covers key perspectives, laws, court cases, and statistics on survivors/victims and perpetrators. Leading scholars'' and activists'' perspectives on the subject add depth to the information provided; the set also includes a selection of essential primary documents.

An in-depth treatment in two volumes of the historical and cultural contexts of rape and rape culture, this set discusses both victims and perpetrators internationally during war and peace times and examines the treatment of survivors.Historically, women, men, and children have all suffered sexual violence, during wartime and peacetime as well as inside and outside their homes. This two-volume title focuses on survivors of rape in a variety of social and cultural contexts. It examines different people who are victimized in a variety of situations (including in war and prisons) and studies the particularities of "rape cultures" that are intertwined with ethnic cultures and hatreds and other forms of conflictual social, political, and economic relations. In the introduction, the editors define rape and rape culture and provide historical and cultural context for the information presented throughout the volumes, the first of which primarily focuses on the causes and manifestations of rape cultures; the second considers the consequences of rape cultures for survivors of sexual assault. In both volumes, contributors provide case studies elucidating the experiences of a variety of victims—young, old, male, female, straight, and LGBT—in diverse locations around the world to help readers understand how truly pervasive and portentous rape culture is.

Providing an indispensable resource for students investigating sexual harassment in the United States, Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook is a comprehensive summary of history, current events, possible solutions, and resources.Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the topic and connected issues. In addition to discussing the background and history of sexual harassment, it analyzes related problems and controversies and gives possible solutions. It also provides additional perspectives on sexual harassment by contributors and sketches of people and organizations, as well as documents, resources, and a timeline.This volume covers workplace harassment; street harassment; harassment in schools, the military, and prisons; and cyber harassment. The format gives readers a well-balanced perspective on this timely topic with multiple viewpoints showcased in essays by contributors who have experienced sexual harassment, adding depth and relevance. The volume discusses the history of sexual harassment and brings the topic to the present day, and additionally covers recent events and people who have been in the news while putting them in context. Readers can see how laws and awareness of sexual harassment have changed. Additional resources are provided to guide those who wish to further investigate the topic.

Providing an indispensable resource for students investigating sexual harassment in the United States, Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook is a comprehensive summary of history, current events, possible solutions, and resources.Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the topic and connected issues. In addition to discussing the background and history of sexual harassment, it analyzes related problems and controversies and gives possible solutions. It also provides additional perspectives on sexual harassment by contributors and sketches of people and organizations, as well as documents, resources, and a timeline.This volume covers workplace harassment; street harassment; harassment in schools, the military, and prisons; and cyber harassment. The format gives readers a well-balanced perspective on this timely topic with multiple viewpoints showcased in essays by contributors who have experienced sexual harassment, adding depth and relevance. The volume discusses the history of sexual harassment and brings the topic to the present day, and additionally covers recent events and people who have been in the news while putting them in context. Readers can see how laws and awareness of sexual harassment have changed. Additional resources are provided to guide those who wish to further investigate the topic.

This two-volume set provides an authoritative overview of rape and other forms of sexual violence, containing the latest information about victims and perpetrators; events, laws, and trends related to sexual violence; and attitudes toward it.This encyclopedia will help readers to develop a deeper understanding of rape and other forms of sexual violence in the United States and around the world. Content illuminates all aspects of this serious issue, including the forms of trauma experienced by survivors/victims; different types of rape, from incest to acquaintance rape to prison rape; specific cases, events, and controversies; laws, policies, movements, and organizations pertaining to the issue; and legal, political, and cultural contributors to rape and other forms of sexual violence.Encyclopedia of Rape and Sexual Violence follows an A–Z format, but instead of comprising brief overview entries, it features twenty chapters, each of which is a long-form entry that covers key perspectives, laws, court cases, and statistics on survivors/victims and perpetrators. Leading scholars'' and activists'' perspectives on the subject add depth to the information provided; the set also includes a selection of essential primary documents.

An in-depth treatment in two volumes of the historical and cultural contexts of rape and rape culture, this set discusses both victims and perpetrators internationally during war and peace times and examines the treatment of survivors.Historically, women, men, and children have all suffered sexual violence, during wartime and peacetime as well as inside and outside their homes. This two-volume title focuses on survivors of rape in a variety of social and cultural contexts. It examines different people who are victimized in a variety of situations (including in war and prisons) and studies the particularities of "rape cultures" that are intertwined with ethnic cultures and hatreds and other forms of conflictual social, political, and economic relations. In the introduction, the editors define rape and rape culture and provide historical and cultural context for the information presented throughout the volumes, the first of which primarily focuses on the causes and manifestations of rape cultures; the second considers the consequences of rape cultures for survivors of sexual assault. In both volumes, contributors provide case studies elucidating the experiences of a variety of victims—young, old, male, female, straight, and LGBT—in diverse locations around the world to help readers understand how truly pervasive and portentous rape culture is.

Providing an indispensable resource for students investigating sexual harassment in the United States, Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook is a comprehensive summary of history, current events, possible solutions, and resources.Sexual Harassment: A Reference Handbook provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the topic and connected issues. In addition to discussing the background and history of sexual harassment, it analyzes related problems and controversies and gives possible solutions. It also provides additional perspectives on sexual harassment by contributors and sketches of people and organizations, as well as documents, resources, and a timeline.This volume covers workplace harassment; street harassment; harassment in schools, the military, and prisons; and cyber harassment. The format gives readers a well-balanced perspective on this timely topic with multiple viewpoints showcased in essays by contributors who have experienced sexual harassment, adding depth and relevance. The volume discusses the history of sexual harassment and brings the topic to the present day, and additionally covers recent events and people who have been in the news while putting them in context. Readers can see how laws and awareness of sexual harassment have changed. Additional resources are provided to guide those who wish to further investigate the topic.

This book offers a look at how the lives of women changed in the era when the United States emerged.Spanning the broad spectrum of Colonial-era life, Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America is a revealing exploration of how 18-century American women of various races, classes, and religions were affected by conditions of the times—war, slavery, religious awakenings, political change, perceptions about gender—as well as how they influenced the world around them. Women's Roles in Eighteenth-Century America covers the area of North America that became the United States and follows the transformation of the British colonies into a new nation. The book is organized thematically to examine marriage and the family, the law, work, travel, war, religion, and education and the arts. Each chapter combines current research and primary sources to offer authoritative portraits of real lives of the everyday women during this pivotal early era in our history.

This two-volume set brings to life the daily thoughts and routines of men and women—rich and poor, of various cultures, religions, races, and beliefs—during a time of great political, social, economic, and legal turmoil.What was life really like for ordinary people during the American Revolution? What did they eat, wear, believe in, and think about? What did they do for fun? This encyclopedia explores the lives of men, women, and children—of European, Native American, and African descent—through the window of social, cultural, and material history. The two-volume set spans the period from 1774 to 1800, drawing on the most current research to illuminate people's emotional lives, interactions, opinions, views, beliefs, and intimate relationships, as well as connections between the individual and the greater world. The encyclopedia features more than 200 entries divided into topical sections, each dealing with a different aspect of cultural life—for example, Arts, Food and Drink, and Politics and Warfare. Each section opens with an introductory essay, followed by A–Z entries on various aspects of the subject area. Sidebars and primary documents enhance the learning experience. Targeting high school and college students, the title supports the American history core curriculum and the current emphasis on social history. Most importantly, its focus on the realities of daily life, rather than on dates and battles, will help students identify with and learn about this formative period of American history.