Taming passion for the public good : policing sex in the early republic / Mark E. Kann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kann, Mark E.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex--United States--History--17th century.

Sex.

Sex--United States--History--18th century.

Sexual ethics--United States--History.

Sexual ethics.

History.

United States--History--1783-1865.

United States.

United States--Moral conditions.

Moral conditions.

Physical Description:

ix, 237 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, [2013]

Summary:

In Popular Imagination, the American Revolution Stands for the triumph of populism and the death of patriarchal elites. But this is not the case, argues Mark E. Kann. Rather, in the aftermath of the Revolution, America developed a society and system of laws that kept patriarchal authority alive and well-especially when it came to the sex lives of citizens. In Taming Passion for the Public Good, Kann contends that despite the rhetoric of classical liberalism, the founding generation did not trust ordinary citizens with extensive liberty. Through the policing of sex, elites sought to maintain control of individuals' private lives, ensuring that citizens would be productive, moral, and orderly in the new nation. New American elites applauded traditional marriages, in which men were the public face of the family and women managed the home. They frowned on interracial and interclass sexual unions. They saw masturbation as evidence of a lack of self-control over one's passions, and they considered prostitution the result of aggressive female sexuality. Both were punishable offenses. By seeking to police sex, elites were able to keep alive what Kann calls a "resilient patriarchy." Under the guise of paternalism, they were able simultaneously to retain social control while espousing liberal principles, with the goal of ultimately molding the country into the new American ideal: a moral and orderly citizenry that voluntarily did what was best for the public good. Book jacket.

Contents:

In the shadow of patriarchal authority

Resilient patriarchal authority

The need to police sex

Policing impassioned men

Policing women's sex lives

Policing prostitution

The patriarchal core of liberalism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-228) and index.

ISBN:

9780814770191

0814770193

OCLC:

805041806