a little less flattery and a little more justice - Bibliography
A Note Regarding Resources: Items are listed on this page that enhance work with the topic discussed. Some older items, especially, may include dated practices and ideas that are no longer generally accepted. Resources reflecting current practices are noted whenever possible
Student Reading
Ash, Maureen. The Story of the Women’s Movement. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1989.
Ash provides an easy-to-read story of the early women’s movement. The information is very basic, and the index is limited. It is good for beginning students.
Gurko, Miriam. The Ladies of Seneca Falls: The Birth of the Woman’s Rights Movement. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974.
General background and information on early leaders of the women’s movement is presented in a very readable style. This is a good source for advanced students and adults.
Warren, Ruth. A Pictorial History of Women in America. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1975.
Warren shows, through pictures and text, the difficulties women have had in America in their struggle to receive an adequate education, to gain the right to vote, and even to wear comfortable clothing. The text is brief and informative for interested students.
Advanced Reading
Bennett, Pamela J., and Shirley S. McCord, comp. Progress after Statehood: A Book of Readings. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1974.
A section on “Women” prints several primary sources, including items on bloomers (1853), equal pay (1858), and suffrage conventions (1869, 1870).
Debates. See Report.
Evans, Sara M. Born for Liberty: A History of Women in America. New York: The Free Press, 1989.
A highly readable general survey of women in the history of the United States.
Journal of the Convention of the People of the State of Indiana to Amend the Constitution. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, reprint, 1936.
Reports the official activity of the 1850 Constitutional Convention.
Kettleborough, Charles. Constitution Making in Indiana, Vol. 1, 1780-1851, Vol. 2, 1851-1916. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, reprints, 1971 and 1975.
Provides the text for constitutional documents, including resolutions, and some analysis and commentary. An invaluable source. There are four volumes, which cover through 1960.
Leopold, Richard W. Robert Dale Owen: A Biography. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1940.
A standard work, written using contemporary letters and periodicals.
Myres, Sandra L. Westering Women and the Frontier Experience, 1800-1915. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1982.
Myres uses primary documents to detail the lives of women on the frontier.
Report of the Debates and Proceedings of the Convention for the Revision of the Constitution of the State of Indiana. 1850. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, reprint, 1935.
Includes complete speeches and is a valuable resource regarding public opinion of the time regarding issues discussed.
Riley, Glenda. Inventing the American Woman: A Perspective on Women’s History, Vol.1,1607-1877, Vol. 2, 1865 to the Present. Arlington Heights, IL: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 1986.
An excellent general survey.
Walsh, Justin E. The Centennial History of the Indiana General Assembly, 1816-1978. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1987.
Extremely valuable and readable account of issues and events involving the Indiana General Assembly.
Woloch, Nancy. Women and the American Experience. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984.
Excellent coverage of Frances Wright and the Owens’ New Harmony experiment. Includes excellent background information about and analysis of women’s roles from the seventeenth century to the 1980s.
Of Special Interest
Freetown Village, an acting troupe portraying African-American life in the 1870s, is touring a new production, Whose Rights Are Right, during 1993. This play deals with black women’s rights. Call 317-631-1870 for more information.
The annual catalog of the National Women’s History Project provides a wide selection of books and materials. Contact the Project, 7738 Bell Road, Windsor, CA 95492-8515; 707-838-6000.