Ebb Tide In New England: Women, Seaports, And Social Change 1630 1800

Examining the status of women in four New England seaports in the 17th and 18th centuries, Elaine Forman Crane argues that women suffered a deterioration in economic and social standing as the market economy and government expanded. She makes a strong case for viewing the feminization of poverty in contemporary America as a product of these historical origins.