Motherhood in the Old South (Revised) - by Sally G McMillen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Sally G. McMillen has written an enthralling historical account of the childbearing and -rearing responsibilities that consumed, often literally, the lives of women in the Old South. She explores the social, political, and medical influences of the time--which led women to assume fervently the full responsibility for their "sacred occupation,"--and examines how a woman's maternal role ensured her value within the family and the greater society. Along with intimate details that authenticate her study. McMillen provides telling statistics on the number of women who died in childbirth, the rate of infant mortality, and the incidence of other causes of death to mothers and their children during the first half of the nineteenth century.

Review Quotes

A fascinating look at medical practices and those who suffered them in the antebellum South.-- "Charlotte Observer"

McMillen has produced perhaps the most intimate portrait yet of [middle- and upper-class southern wives], one that shows how the duty of reproduction undermined the class privileges enjoyed by these women.-- "North Carolina Historical Review"

The wonderful blend of historical accuracy with personal anecdotes provides for enjoyable reading. All those interested in women's issues will find this book of value from both the historical and medical perspective.-- "Southern Quarterly"

McMillen's portrait of the physical and emotional strains of motherhood in this period should dispel any lingering notions about idle southern ladies. The richness of McMillen's research makes her book invaluable.--Drew Gilpin Faust

About the Author

Sally G. McMillen, Mary Reynolds Babcock Professor of History at Davidson College in North Carolina, is also the author of To Raise Up the South: Sunday Schools in Black and White Churches, 1865-1915 and Southern Women: Black and White in the Old South.