In the fight for equality, early feminists often cited the infantilization of women by white men as a method used to keep them out of positions of power. This book argues that adulthood—and the associated political rights, economic opportunities, and other benefits that come with it—became a common political goal for both feminists and African American activists between the American Revolution and the Civil War. The idea that black men and all women were more like children than adults proved difficult to shake and came to serve as a foundation for racial and sexual inequality for generations. ... More

In the fight for equality, early feminists often cited the infantilization of women by white men as a method used to keep them out of positions of power. This book argues that adulthood—and the associated political rights, economic opportunities, and other benefits that come with it—became a common political goal for both feminists and African American activists between the American Revolution and the Civil War. The idea that black men and all women were more like children than adults proved difficult to shake and came to serve as a foundation for racial and sexual inequality for generations. In detailing the connections between the struggle for equality and the political and social concepts of adulthood, the book provides the historical context for understanding the dilemmas American women still face today, from “glass ceilings” to a culture obsessed with youth and beauty over that of female empowerment. Drawn from a complex and fascinating past, this book tells the history of how power, gender, and race collided, and how those affected came together to fight against injustice, leaving us with lessons that still resonate today.