Good Old-Fashioned No-Frills History.

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	• Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation Cokie Roberts Harper Perennial, 2005 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 66 reviews view larger image
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It's about time

It's about time that women got the recognition they are entitled to in the American Revolution. Every student of American history should read at least one essay from this work.

Good Old-Fashioned No-Frills History.

It's nice to read non-controversial history once in a while, penned by a writer who has not set out with an agenda to upset what we think we know. This is such a book. Cokie Roberts has written a sound, conservative, "just the facts" work about the women who were there beside the great men in the early days of our nation, and her conversational yet confident prose style makes for a comfortable read. I thought Founding Mothers was good and it presented facts and personalities in a way that did a respectful but not worshipful job of telling us about the women who helped create the United States of America.

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Wonder Women

Cokie Roberts does an outstanding job of relating to us the stories of the women who worked behind the scenes to build our nation. The stories flow well and are intertwined with one another, as well as with Roberts' own comments. Not only do her comments provide clarity for certain points and situations, but they also provide insight into both her mind and the minds of the women involved in America's quest for independence.

These women were truly outstanding. As Roberts points out, they not only spurred the Revolution and supported their husbands and sons, but they also dealt with, among other things, constant pregnancy, the death (or deaths) of children, absentee husbands, and hostile British soldiers. They wrote articles and satirical pieces to incite the fight for independence, such as in the cases of Mercy Otis Warren and Esther Reed. Like Martha Washington and Sarah Jay, they left their children to follow their husbands around the colonies and Europe. And some, like Deborah Franklin, defended their homes from angy mobs. All the while, these women provided comfort to their exhausted and worried husbands, as well as to the American public.

Roberts' portrayal captures the differing opinions of the women's involvement well. She makes sure we know that women were generally supposed to stay in the home with the children. Some men did not want women to leave their "sphere" at all, such as Benjamin Franklin; he believed that all women, including his wife, Deborah, should stay out of politics. Despite this type of opposition and stereotype, many men supported their wives' involvement in the Revolution. Roberts does a particularly good job of relating to us the sentiments of men like George Washington and John Adams who staunchly supported their wives and all women. Not only did these men praise the efforts of women, but they also attributed much of the success of the new country to the females. As Washington wrote, "Nor would I rob the fairer sex of their share in the glory of a revolution so honorable to human nature, for indeed, I think you ladies are in the number of the best patriots America can boast."

It is Roberts' use of quotes like these that truly enhances "Founding Mothers." She has skillfully found pertinent passages from the letters of the Founding Fathers and Mothers that both relate to us the events of the time as well as reveal to us the true character of these historic figures. They are no longer statues or names from history books; rather, they are living human beings, much like us, who had dreams and fears and emotions. Roberts does not just tell us that Abigail Adams was deeply in love with her husband or that Sarah Jay was heartbroken when her baby daughter died while the Jays were in Europe. Instead, Roberts uses quotes from these people's correspondence to make us feel as if we are these women, for we can feel the emotion in the letters.

With amusing tales of their daily lives, revealing passages from their correspondence, and personal comments to make the connection to our own lives, Cokie Roberts weaves together the fascinating stories of the women who helped with the birth of our country. The result is a colorful quilt of society that creates respect for out forbearers as well as a belief that we too can influence the world around us.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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