Family, Slavery, and Love in the Early American Republic - (Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American Histo) by Jan Ellen Lewis

About the Book

"One of the finest historians of her generation, Jan Ellen Lewis transformed our understanding of the early U.S. Republic. Her groundbreaking essays defined the emerging fields of gender and emotions history and reframed traditional understandings of the founding fathers and the U.S. Constitution. This book collects thirteen of Lewis's most important essays. Distinguished scholars shed light on the historical and historiographical contexts in which Lewis and her peers researched, wrote, and argued. But the real star of this volume is Lewis herself: confident, unconventional, erudite, and deeply imaginative"--

Book Synopsis

One of the finest historians of her generation, Jan Ellen Lewis (1949-2018) transformed our understanding of the early U.S. Republic. Her groundbreaking essays defined the emerging fields of gender and emotions history and reframed traditional understandings of the founding fathers and the U.S. Constitution. As significant as her work was within each of these subfields, her most remarkable insights came from the connections she drew among them. Gender and race, slavery and freedom, feelings and politics ran together in the hearts, minds, and lives of the men and women she studied. Lewis's brilliant research revealed these long-buried connections and illuminated their importance for America's past and present.

Family, Slavery, and Love in the Early American Republic collects thirteen of Lewis's most important essays. Distinguished scholars shed light on the historical and historiographical contexts in which Lewis and her peers researched, wrote, and argued. But the real star of this volume is Lewis herself: confident, unconventional, erudite, and deeply imaginative.

Review Quotes

"Markedly brilliant in both [its] breadth and depth of research. . . . [A] fitting tribute to a scholar whose work was at the vanguard of changing the nature of what was considered 'worthy' of study in American history, namely women's and gender history and the intimate dynamics of the American family."--English Historical Review

"A masterful tribute to Lewis . . . . In a time when political divides over school curricula threaten to erase the complicated, messy contradictions of the nation's founding in favor of a polished yet limiting triumphal perspective Lewis's scholarship, once again, is a timely and necessary intervention."--H-Net Reviews

"The affection and admiration felt toward Lewis emanate from every contributor. . . It is a fitting tribute to Lewis's scholarship and will also be of use to those interested in the history of the Early American Republic and how investigations of race, gender, and emotions provided insight into politics, the constitution, and Thomas Jefferson himself."--The Middle Ground Journal

"This volume amply demonstrates the power of Lewis's careful readings of texts, nuanced, interpretations, and meticulously constructed arguments. Seeing the full span of Lewis's work and the way she often began pulling on threads that later scholars continued to unravel made me wish for an entire second volume exploring her legacy in these fields. Her influence will continue both through her published works and the many, many publications of scholars who build upon them."--Journal of Southern History

About the Author

Jan Ellen Lewis was professor of history at Rutgers University, Newark. Barry Bienstock teaches history at Horace Mann School, Bronx, New York. Annette Gordon-Reed is Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard Law School. Peter S. Onuf is Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, Emeritus at the University of Virginia and Senior Fellow at Monticello's Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.