Bowing to Necessities: A History of Manners in America, 1620-1860

Synopsis

How men and women interact, the respect young show old, and old show young, and who doffs their hat to whom provides a telling window on American cultural history. This is a chronological study, covering the long period of 1620 to 1860. Working through two centuries of conduct literature, Professor Hemphill provides a retelling of American history to the Civil War, illuminating crucial connections between evolving class, gender and age relations along the way.