First Generations by C. Berkin - Book Report/Review Example

 First Generations by C. Berkin First Generations is an insightful book covering the social, economic, regional and racial aspects of women living in America. Carol Berkin, being an expert writer on women’s history throughout the colonial era, has written several books on the theme of women and their lives throughout the history. Berkin has widely written on subjects prevailing across American history and particularly women, thereby making them available to the general public. In First Generations, Berkin (1996) looks at the transformation of women and their roles from the period of first settlement up to the early republic. The book provides a deep perspective on the life of women during the colonial period of American history. It reflects thorough reading of secondary sources centering around the female aspect of life in colonial America, taking into account their varied composition and their changing roles throughout the time. On the whole, the book provides a feminist perspective into the lives of women in colonial times. Berkin (1996) explains the identity of women as independent and having a distinct identity apart from their spouses. Berkin (1996) has effectively used example cases to reflect on the lives of women. In the book, Margaret Hardenbroeck symbolizes an archetype of women in the middle colonies. Hardenbroeck is a dutch trader who moved to New Amsterdam in 1659 (Berkin, 1996). She had been involved in fur trade and even after her marriage, she reserved the legal rights as well as economic autonomy to carry on her business as an independent entity. Her business was doing well but the English takeover of the region damaged her legal rights as an independent actor. This restricted her rights to act independently and now she could only work under her husband’s direction. With this story, Berkin (1996) tries to demonstrate how the autonomy of women was restricted as it was connected to their husbands. This fact in turn, restricted their opportunities as independent women. Many aspects of women’s behavior in colonial times is considered to be shaped on racial and regional grounds however Berkin (1996) considers class to be a critical determinant of their behavior and norms. Indeed, the variable was very significant in shaping perceptions and the expectations of roles exhibited by women of the time. Traditional stereotypes of women’s roles looked upon them as fulfilling their domestic responsibilities at home. However there were also women who characterized both male and female roles collectively due to their acquirement of education and sophistication which acted as an opportunity for them. Here, Berkin (1996) gives the example of Eliza Lucas Pinckney who was able to carry out both roles encircling male and female responsibilities. Pinckney not only accomplished her roles as a mother, daughter, and wife but she also a competent manager of her plantations left by her late father and her late husband. The point Berkin tries to make is that women did represent the ability to display dual roles in the society but class had a large impact of their expected behavior. Berkin stresses on the fact that class had a major role in the treatment of women in the colonial years as they made women susceptible to patriarchal abuse. Despite geographical distances women all over colonial America faced similar experiences. Again, class was crucial as those in the higher did enjoy certain benefits over their weaker counterparts who were exposed to bad treatment by males. This notion was not only restricted to minor races but also white women servants who were often under threat of harassment. With this, Berkin has explained the continuous struggle of women throughout the times as they made progress to curb the dominating influence of male over them. By giving several relevant examples of women including white Americans, Native Americans as well as African Americans who were shown similar treatment by men and the society, Berkin has tried to make a case for the hardships faced by women of the time. Berkin has tried to make her point by employing a rhetorical approach based on generating credibility by pointing out different real life examples. The thematic style used by Berkin is one where one example story follows the other in a way that stresses on the struggles of women in the face of challenges in the American colony. The story builds up as one story emphasizes on a different aspect of women’s freedom and the subsequent descriptions build on to the societal and relational aspects of women’s life in colonial America. In a coherent fashion, Berkin tells the story of several women by employing a range of secondary sources. The books style and its ability to build up to a strong and impactful thesis does not lose its charm despite absence of any primary sources. The secondary sources draw its interpretations into a descriptive form which spurs a sense of attachment within the reader. However, the absence of primary sources fails to deliver any conclusive argument. Thus, Berkin has made an attempt to highlight the transforming roles of women and their figure in the society during colonial times. By giving references of the different racial groups residing in colonial America, Berkin has reflected upon the diverse faces of women and how the different cultures viewed the different facets of life and society. Several of these concepts were related to women and marriage and how these factors determined the roles of women. The varying concepts of the settlers and the natives did present some conflicts in their notion of marriage and love. Therefore, in an attempt to assimilate the native and the settler thoughts, efforts were made to come to a common comprehension of these concepts encompassing female life. References Berkin, C. (1996). First Generations: Women in Colonial America. New York: Hill And Wang. Read More