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John D'Emilio and Estelle Freedman describe the different sexual worlds of plantation slaves, European immigrants, and the urban middle class, and how sexual matters moved from the privacy of the bedroom to its commercial exploitation and its entry into mass culture. The authors shed light on the complex nature of race, gender, and class inequality. They discuss such issues as white slavery and lynching, how sex has served as a symbol for a wide range of social problems, and how conflicts over sexuality have sometimes shaped the political and cultural contours of an era. D'Emilio and Freedman have drawn on court records, diaries, letters, and popular art and culture to provide both a scholarly interpretation of the history of sexuality and a compelling narrative of the lives of anonymous Americans.--From publisher description.… (more)
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The author does not fall into the trap of considering any type of movement or expectation as a given, as if
The author also does well at looking at the various attitudes which existed among different classes and ethnic groups while not neglecting the overall picture that at least a few in America wanted to present about what appropriate sexuality looked like.
Fully researched and documented and a useful resource if one is interested in understanding the various contours of the views and arguments regarding human sexuality in American culture.
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