Natural Allies: Women's Associations in American History

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University of Illinois Press, 1992 - History - 242 pages
America's female benevolent societies took root in the 1790s. Initially founded on notions of Christian duty and hope of heavenly reward, these groups produced volunteers dedicated to providing aid to unfortunates in general and women and children in particular. Anne Frior Scott explores the history of these aid societies and how they allowed women to influence America's social agenda and make inroads into politics long before they could vote. Scott reveals how women from all corners of society took part; examines their changing role in the midst of tumultuous times and during the rise of the welfare state; assesses the overlooked accomplishment of black women's organizations from the early days of the republic; and looks at the kinds of enduring community institutions women's organizations founded and maintained.

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Contents

To Cast Our Mite on the Altar of Benevolence Women Begin to Organize
11
To Overleap the Modesty of Nature The Emergence of Female Activism
37
We Are Now Very Busy Women and War
58
A New Worldto Some Extent
79
Onward Christian Women
85
SelfImprovement Community Improvement
111
Inventing Progressivism Municipal Housekeeping
141
Inventing Progressivism Social Justice
159
As Organizations They Could Ask and Gain
175
The Broad Reach of Municipal Housekeeping
185
Notes
191
Index
231
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About the author (1992)

Anne Firor Scott was born Anne Byrd Firor in Montezuma, Georgia on April 24, 1921. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a master's degree in political science from Northwestern University. In 1943, she went to Washington for an internship in a congressman's office, then took a job the next year with the League of Women Voters. She got married in 1947. She worked on a Ph.D. while raising the couple's three children. She received a Ph.D. from Radcliffe College in 1958. She taught a few American history courses at the University of North Carolina before joining the history department at Duke University in 1961. She stayed for 30 years and served as department chairwoman from 1980 to 1985. She wrote several books including The Southern Lady: From Pedestal to Politics, 1830-1930 and Natural Allies: Women's Associations in American History. She received the 2013 National Humanities Medal. She died on February 5, 2019 at the age of 97.

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