Women, Culture, and Community : Religion and Reform in Galveston, 1880-1920

In this work, Elizabeth Turner addresses a central question in post-Reconstruction social history: why did middle-class women expand their activities from the private to the public sphere and begin, in the years just before World War I, an unprecedented activism? Using Galveston as a case study, Turner examines how a generally conservative, traditional environment could produce important women's organizations for Progressive reform. She concludes that the women of Galveston, though slow to respond to national movements, were stirred to action on behalf of their local community. Local organizations, particularly Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, and traditional everyday social activities provided a nurturing environment for budding reformers, and a foundation for activist organizations and programs such as poor relief and progressive reform. Ultimately, women became politicized even as they continued their roles as guardians of traditional domestic values.Women, Culture, and Community will appeal to scholars and students of the post-Reconstruction South, women's history, activist history, and religious history. Why in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries did middle- and upper-class southern women-black and white-advance from the private worlds of home and family into public life, eventually transforming the cultural and political landscape of their community? Using Galveston as a case study, Elizabeth Hayes Turner asks who where the women who became activists and eventually led to progressive reforms and the women sufferage movement. Turner discovers that a majority of them came from particular congregations, but class status had as much to do with reofrm as did religious motivation. The Hurricane of 1900, disfranchisement of black voters, and the creation of city commission government gave white women the leverage they needed to fight for a women's agenda for the city. Meanwhile, African American women, who were excluded from open civic association with whites, created their own organizations, implemented their own goals, and turned their energies to resisting and alleviating the numbing effects of racism. Separately white and black women created their own activist communities. Together, however, they changed the face of this New South city. Based on an exhaustive database of membership in community organizations compiled by the author from local archives, Women, Culture, and Community will appeal to students of race relations in the post-Reconstruction South, women's history, and religious history. Why In The Late 19th And Early 20th Centuries Did Southern Women (black And White) Advance From The Private Worlds Of Home And Family Into Public Life, Transforming The Cultural And Political Landscape Of Their Community? Using Galveston As A Case Study, Turner Asks Who Where The Women Who Became Activists. Introduction: The Multiple Meanings Of Culture, Community, Religion, And Reform -- Pt. 1. Gilded Age Galveston. 1. Disaster Strikes The Island City. 2. Women, Culture, And The Church: Memorials, Cemeteries, And Music. 3. Church Programs: Sunday School, Bible Classes, And Women's Societies. 4. A Blessing Upon Our Labors: Women's Benevolent Societies And Poor Relief. 5. Benevolent Institutions And Their Lady Managers. 6. Women's Clubs -- Pt. 2. Progressive Era Galveston. 7. After The Storm: Women, Public Policy, And Power. 8. The Interest Has Never Lagged: African American Women And The Black Community. 9. Women Organizing For The Vote. 10. The Ywca And Wage-earning Women -- Conclusion: Toward Progressive Women's Communities -- App. A. An Essay On Methodology. Elizabeth Hayes Turner. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 303-360) And Index. Why in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries did middle- and upper-class southern women - black and white - advance from the private worlds of home and family into public life, eventually transforming the cultural and political landscape of their community? Using Galveston as a case study, Elizabeth Hayes Turner asks who were the women who became activists and eventually led to progressive reforms and the woman suffrage movement. Turner discovers that a majority of them came from particular congregations, but class status had as much to do with reform as did religious motivation. Based on an exhaustive database of membership in community organizations compiled by the author from local archives, Women, Culture, and Community will appeal to students of race relations in the post-Reconstruction South, women's history, and religious history.