Women of the Constitution - by Janice E McKenney (Paperback)

About the Book

Women of the Constitution follows in the footsteps of the 1912 work devoted to biographical sketches of the spouses of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. This book will be the first work devoted exclusively to providing brief biographies of the forty-three wives o...

Book Synopsis

Women of the Constitution follows in the footsteps of the 1912 work devoted to biographical sketches of the spouses of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. This book will be the first work devoted exclusively to providing brief biographies of the forty-three wives of the signers of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

Review Quotes

McKenney (Field Artillery; Air Defence Artillery) here provides concise details on the wives of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. The book, a project of the District of Columbia Daughters of the American Revolution, is well researched, with information from primary sources where available. Each entry begins with a block of basic biographical data such as places and dates of birth and death and details on the woman's marriage and children; the entries that follow provide further facts about the wives' education, family, and married life. Most of the entries include a photo or illustration and all entries include notes and a bibliography. An appendix provides information about the historic homes of the subjects. VERDICT Any researcher interested in women's lives in Colonial America could use this title as a starting point for their research. The book will be a useful addition to reference collections at school, public, and two-year college libraries.

Reading this book. . . .may provide useful bits of information for researchers. The notes and bibliographies, for instance, may prove to be good resources.

This title, a project of the District of Columbia Daughters of the American Revolution, provides concise details on the wives of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. Research for the title was done primarily from primary sources and entries include such information as place of birth and death, details of their marriage and children, education, and family. Many of the entries are accompanied by a photograph or illustration and all include a useful bibliography. The work includes an appendix that lists historic homes of the women mentioned in the book. Useful for academic and high school libraries, this title will be of interested to anyone researching Colonial American history as well as historical women's studies. . . .[I]t will serve well as a jumping-off point to more detailed research.

About the Author

Janice E. McKenney is a military historian and is retired from the U.S. Army Center of Military History. She has published books and articles on U.S. Army artillery.