In Belle Moskowitz: Feminine Politics And The Exercise Of Power In The Age Of Alfred E. Smith, Elisabeth Perry presents an impressive work of biographical scholarship on the woman who was four-term Democratic governor of New York and unsuccessful presidential candidate, Alfred E. Smith's closet political advisor. Bell Moskowitz (1877-1933) was the most powerful woman in Democratic party politics during the 1920s and served as Smith's strategist, public relations director, and campaign manager. She was also a major force in shaping the social welfare programs for which his gubernatorial administration is best remembered for today. A well-crafted feminist biography, Belle Moskowitz showcases a pioneering female activist who achieved unprecedented influence in American politics, only to fall into an undeserved obscurity. Belle Moskowitz redresses that historical oversight and is a very highly recommended contribution to women's studies, American political history, and feminist biography collections.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by a woman who appalled slavery, has touched the hearts of many readers. Wanting to change and affect public opinion on the concept of slavery, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a novel, a dramatic, engaging narrative that claimed the heart, soul, and politics of many fellow Americans. It was propaganda and an attempt to make whites in the North and South see slaves as mortal human beings with Christian souls.
Uncle Tom's Cabin is the story of the slave Tom. Strong and loyal as he is, his "good" master, Mr. Shelby, sells Tom to Mr. Haley, a slave trader, to pay off a debt. Mr. St. Clare then purchases him as an act of gratitude for saving his daughter's life. After St. Clare's death, his wife goes against his wishes and sends him to a slave warehouse where he is bought by the "bullet headed" Mr. Simon Legree. Here, Tom endures brutal treatment at the hands of his master. By exposing the extreme cruelties of slavery, Stowe explores society's failures and asks, what is it to be a moral human being?"
The novel was revolutionary for its passionate indictment of slavery and its presentation of Tom, "a man of humanity." Labeled racist and condescending by some contemporary critics, Uncle Tom's Cabin still remains a shocking, controversial, and powerful piece of literature--exposing the attitudes of white nineteenth century society toward the institution of slavery, and documenting the tragic breakup of black Kentucky families.
I would definately recommend this novel to all well-informed readers looking for literature with much diction and imagery. It would also suit the needs of those looking for a great plot. However, I caution those sensitive to great detail of torture because this novel is very strong and graphic on the broad issue of slavery.

Historians Linda Kerber, Alice Kessler-Harris and Kathryn Kish Sklar, have edited a volume of essays that is an example of what they describe as the fourth stage of development of women's history, achieving a synthesis of what is known about men and women. Their volume is an attempt to provide a synthesis of historical scholarship on gender and its intersection with power and knowledge.

Their volume maps this intersection with a scope that is both chronologically and topically broad. The collected essays address important issues throughout the entire history of the United States, beginning with Kerber's discussion of the obligations of women's citizenship in Revolutionary America and ending with Jane Sherron De Hart's examination of female representation among elected officials in the 1990s. Topically, while there is a significant emphasis on women's reform movements, especially in the Progressive Era, topics as diverse as the cultural phenomenon of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and the creation of Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia comprise the full range of gender issues examined. The claim of the title of their edited volume, that United States history is as much women's history as it is men's, is supported forcefully by the works published. None of these essays are work characteristic of earlier stages of development of the field of women's history. Evidence of women's historical existence has been found; women's contributions to significant fields, once thought to have been only the work of men have been documented; and histories have been written chronicling reform movements and other developments that were fundamentally effected by the role of women.

The overarching argument of the editors and contributors is that women's history should no longer be ghettoized as a separate historical field, but rather should be synthesized into a larger historical narrative. Women's history should no longer be a subfield of social history, based on the claim that women represent some type of separate social group. Rather, based on the identification of the political nature women's public and private actions women's history is political history. This specific volume and its essays argue that this women's history should be central to the narrative of United States history.

One flaw that can be identified in this volume, U.S. History as Women's History, is that despite the inclusion of the word in its title, the editors fail to define the term feminist. Similarly, the qualifier new is not addressed adequately. Does this volume represent a new feminist viewpoint, or does the subtitle simply indicate that these are newly published feminist essays, not representing any analytical shift, but simply recognizing the completion of new works of scholarship? These are questions that would have benefited from these authors' expertise.

Sklar has put together a wonderful collection of essays that explore women in history. This is not a book that belongs to the "Great Men Of HIstory" school of thought. In this book and it's predecessor (volume 1) every aspect of women's lives in American history are explored. Skalr is definetly an expert in women's history and has put together all the best writers on the subject. The information is new and reads easily. This is not a repeat of simple things that everyone alreday knows. The authors write about the actions of working class women and freed slaves as well as the leaders of various movements. This book is great on its own but definetely is better with its compantion book. It is important to pay close attention to the chapter on Irish working women and the chapter on housewives. These are aspects that affect almost everyone's family history. This book is fabulous and helps people understand women's contribution to history as well as the women in their own families.