Since people often ask me how I chose the dozen women that are in "Female Adventurers," I want to explain some of my reasoning. I started out by eliminating the women I had researched that did not go to Windsor, Wethersfield or Hartford, CT because I wanted it understood that they were part of the very beginning of the state. Of course, they were involved in the very beginning of Massachusetts as well. I tried to choose women whose stories gave insights into women's history. I deliberately | chose women from different economic stations. When you read Mary Holt's story, even though it is not a full profile, you will have a good idea on how the justice system treated women, especially those of the "lower class." Rebecca Elsen Mudge Greensmith's story highlights the power of gossip in the Puritan communities, as well as how superstitious the people of the seventeenth century were. I believe you cannot read "Female Adventurers" and not come away knowing more women's history. |
0 Comments
|