Family and Divorce in California, 1850-1890: Victorian Illusions and Everyday Realities

· State University of New York Press
Ebook
266
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Family and Divorce in California succeeds in reconstructing the private world of farmers, laborers, small-town merchants tradesmen, and housewives through an examination of local newspapers, census data, legal documents, and, above all, divorce records during the years 1850 to 1890. Some 400 divorce cases from two rural counties form the core of the study.

Here we see how the compassionate ideal, the cult of true womanhood, and the work ethic actually affected the attitudes and behavior of working-class and rural as well as urban, middle-class people. A wide variety of topics is covered:

basic family values
women's health, work, sexuality, character, and indepdence
men's work, sexual conduct, and affective retions
the nature of parenthood, childhood, and marital companionship
domestic violenc

The book also explores the early years of the divorce crisis that began in the 1880s and answers the questions of how and why it developed.

About the author

Robert Griswold is assistant professor history at the University of Oklahoma.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.