For oh so many reasons, women have little place in printed histories. If letters or diaries have survived, they offer a glimpse into the lives of women, their struggles and their triumphs in the every day of life. On this Independence Day, I want to offer up two reading suggestions as an alternative way to observing what took place on this continent in the 1700s.
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts, is an excellent account of the women who ran the country while the men were off fighting wars or writing a constitution. You can learn about Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Deborah Read Franklin and several other women whose contributions were critical in the founding of the new nation.
Moravian Women’s Memoirs: Their Related Lives, 1750-1820, translated by Katherine Faull, is a fascinating glimpse into religious practices of the time. The women’s words speak to the great support and fellowship they received while living in the midst of other women.
This message is an excerpt from a 2013 Women of the ELCA blog by Linda Post Bushkofsky. Today is Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
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