First Generations: Women in Colonial
America by Carol Berkin
Excellent Women's History
This study of American women in the 17th and 18th centuries by historian
Carol Berkin gives close attention to the lives of several women like Mary,
who was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1622. She married another
African, Antonio, and over the course of their 40-year marriage, they
earned their freedom and established a 250-acre plantation before moving
to Maryland in search of new land. Other black women were not so lucky
and, as time progressed, laws restricting black freedom were codified.
This study uses legal and other types of records to illuminate the lives and
experiences of these and other black, white, and Native American women.
Personal Review: First Generations: Women in Colonial
America by Carol Berkin
Carol Berkin offers informative essays on women in different ethnic and
regional cultures of colonial America. The life story of a woman from each
of the groups considered lends character and definition to this excellent
scholarly work. African-American women, Native American women, and

Anglo-American women in New England and the Chesapeake are among
those considered. As New Amsterdam became New York, women of
Dutch descent experienced major changes in their legal rights. Berkin's
treatment of this transition from Dutch to English law exemplifies her
fascinating and informative style.The study ends with a discussion of
women's lives during the American Revolution, including the moving
stories of women who lost their fortunes or their lives in that struggle. The
biographies of martyrs, however, do not eclipse a good discussion of the
everyday lives of women during the conflict. Berkin also examines how
the logic of democratic revolution, strangely, did not extend to women's
rights. Berkin has made an indispensable contribution to colonial history,
women's history and ethnic history.
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