Bourgeois nightmares : suburbia, 1870-1930 / Robert M. Fogelson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fogelson, Robert M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Suburbs--United States--History.

Suburbs.

Real covenants--United States.

Real covenants.

Suburban life--United States--History.

Suburban life.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The quintessential American suburbs, with their gracious single-family homes, large green lawns, and leaf-shaded streets, reflected not only residents' dreams but nightmares, not only hopes but fears: fear of others, of racial minorities and lowincome groups, fear of themselves, fear of the market, and, above all, fear of change. These fears, and the restrictive covenants that embodied them, are the subject of Robert M. Fogelson's fascinating new book.As Fogelson reveals, suburban subdividers attempted to cope with the deep-seated fears of unwanted change, especially the encroachment of "undesirable" people and activities, by imposing a wide range of restrictions on the lots. These restrictions ranged from mandating minimum costs and architectural styles for the houses to forbidding the owners to sell or lease their property to any member of a host of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. These restrictions, many of which are still commonly employed, tell us as much about the complexities of American society today as about its complexities a century ago.

Contents:

Suburbia, 1870-1930 : the quest for permanence

Bourgeois nightmares : fears of almost everyone and everything.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-253) and index.

ISBN:

9786611740597

9781281740595

1281740594

9780300126990

0300126999

OCLC:

123168521