Sex and Citizenship in Antebellum America

The book explores the origins of the women's rights movement by analyzing the events and ideas that shaped feminism before and after the 1848 Seneca Falls convention. Nancy Isenberg highlights how antebellum women's rights activists created a cohesive feminist critique of societal structures such as church, state, and family. She also emphasizes the development of a theoretical tradition that not only informed future feminist thought but also influenced broader concepts of citizenship and rights.