Beyond Self-Interest: The Political Theory and Practice of Evangelical Women in Antebellum America

Abstract

Prior to the publication of Gerda Lerner's study of the Grimke sisters in 1967, academic historians and students of political theory largely ignored antebellum women. Since that time many fine books and articles have been published about them. The vast majority of these works have focused on relatively innovative or progressive wo men, such as early religious radicals, abolitionists, and, especially, femi nists.1 In recent years, the number of works on conservative antebellum women has increased markedly, but most of these works ignore or underestimate the influence of evangelical Christianity in the lives of these women.2 Moreover, scholars who have looked seriously