Young Oxford History of Women in the United States (review)

The questions guiding this series addressed the economic, social, and political aspects of American history. For example, the authors investigated women’s work and leisure, family patterns, gender roles, forms of political organization used by women, and techniques used by the disenfranchised to influence politics. A second goal of the series was to identify the outstanding accomplishments of individuals and groups in improving the lot of women. The stated aims of the series were accomplished laudably. But the series is more than solely a history of women. The set is a good example of the broader category of social and cultural history, which seeks to make the invisible visible by illuminating the lived experiences of the common people.

This series has high potential for practical application in the classroom. National history is commonly taught at the high school and university levels. Public schools of most of the states have a very specific and crowded curriculum for U.S. history at the secondary level. Teachers and schools are evaluated based on student mastery of the required content as measured by their performance on end-of-course tests. Understandably, teachers are increasingly cautious about using materials that are not directly related to the curriculum. Although each state has its own curriculum, all of them are similar to the National Standards for United States History (National Center for History in the Schools, 1994). Therefore, in spite of the controversy excited by those standards, they are a good gauge for the mandated curriculum typical in most states.

The books in this series are organized by chronological periods, as are most other surveys of U.S. history. The major content (people, events, places) is covered so that the story of women is historicized rather than being isolated or taken out-of-context; for example, coverage of the American Revolution, Civil War and Reconstruction, Industrial Revolution, and social and political ferment of the post-World War II era are all addressed. Also included are reform movements other than women’s rights, such as abolition, and the movement to gain civil rights for other disadvantaged or disenfranchised groups, such as Native Americans. Because of this comprehensive coverage, the books in this series can be used in conjunction with, or even at times in place of, the regular textbook. Their use is not as limited as sources that are merely “add-ons.”

The presentation of some aspects of U.S. history is often problematic for teachers. One difficulty is that the curriculum (and common sense) requires that all facets of a culture be studied, not just the political arena. Interest and work in the fields of social and cultural history have increased in recent decades, and women’s history is a part of this research trend. But many resources available to teachers are still traditional political history that is short on the economic and social aspects of culture and excludes coverage of those who did not hold the seats of power. One example of the broader coverage of this series is the description of the everyday activities of women at the turn of this century. This narrative of how the new domestic technology changed food preservation and preparation, hygiene, clothing, or lighting, is really the story of life at home as experienced by the whole family. The discussion of how difficult it was to regulate fire for heating and cooking helps students understand how truly marvelous and “revolutionary” were the inventions of the Industrial Revolution (New Paths to Power, 39–59). The series is an excellent resource for U.S. history teachers because it is not traditional political history, and it helps students develop a vivid mental picture of what it was really like...