History 231 Reading Guide
New England in the Eighteenth Century
- Christine Leigh Heyrman, “The Fashion Among More Superior People: Charity and Social Change in Provincial New England, 1700-1740,” American Quarterly 34.2 (1982): 107-124. JSTOR
- Cornelia Hughes Dayton, “Taking the Trade: Abortion and Gender Relations in an Eighteenth-Century New England Village” WMQ 3rd ser. 48.1 (1991): 19-49. JSTOR
Questions:
- According to Heyrman, how did ministers present their appeal for philanthropy? How did they hope to redirect the economic interests of the elite?
- What were their underlying concerns about the changing nature of society in the 18th century? How did the ministers attempt to shape the community role of the commercial classes?
- What were the consequences—and the limits—of their efforts?
- How does Dayton present the various actors in this family and community drama? What was the “traditional” way of handling a pre-marital pregnancy in Puritan New England society? Why did the couple not follow that path?
- How did the families and the community respond to the tragic outcome? How does Dayton analyze their concerns and motives?
- How did the court handle the case when the magistrates finally opened the investigation? Whose interests were they serving?
- What does the case suggest about changing family, gender, and class relations in eighteenth-century Connecticut?