Examines changing public attitudes toward the role of the housewife in society, compares nineteenth and twentieth century housewives, and explains why domestic work has been devalued

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Argues that women are gaining political influence, shares interviews with women politicians, and discusses issues facing women candidates (view table of contents)

Essays examine the causes of the Civil War, discussing pivotal events, people, and institutions

Presents alphabetical articles on major events, documents, persons, social movements, and political and social concepts connected with the history of women in America. (view table of contents)

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This book breaks new ground, not only in its coverage of California, but also in its treatment of the role of cultural links in enhancing national loyalty, in its attention to many groups of people of color, including Chinese and Latinos, and what happened to them during the Civil War. In addition, the book devotes attention to the ebb and flow of the two political parties and to the little-known fact that nearly 17,000 California men and women volunteered for military service on behalf of the Union. Glenna Matthews broadens understanding of the Civil War era both in terms of geography and in terms of social groupings.