First published 2021
This collection presents thirteen essays by historian Jan Ellen Lewis, who studied how gender, race, slavery, and emotions shaped early American political life. Lewis examined the founding fathers and the Constitution through new lenses, revealing how personal feelings and social hierarchies intertwined in the young republic. Her research uncovered buried connections between slavery and freedom, between the private lives and public roles of early Americans. Distinguished scholars provide context for Lewis's work within the broader field of early American history. The volume showcases Lewis's confident and imaginative approach to understanding how the hearts and minds of ordinary men and women influenced the nation's founding era. Her essays reframe traditional narratives about the Constitution and its creators, demonstrating how emotional and social forces operated alongside political ones in shaping American institutions.
Genres: history, social-science, non-fiction, biography-memoir, academic, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reframing-narratives
Setting: America, United States
Period: Early American Republic
429 pages · Kindle Edition · Omohundro Institute and UNC Press
Content warnings: slavery