American Fatherhood: A History

Explores The Surprising Diversity Of Fathers And Fatherhood Throughout American History And Society The Nuclear Family Has Been Endlessly Praised As The Bedrock Of American Society, Even Though There Has Rarely Been A Time In History When A Majority Of Americans Lived In Such Families. This Book Deconstructs The Myth Of The Nuclear Family By Presenting The Rich Diversity Of Family Lives In American History From The American Revolution To The Twenty-first Century. To Tell This Story, Jürgen Martschukat Focuses On Fathers And Their Relations To Families And American Society. Using Biographical Close-ups Of Twelve Different Characters, Each Embedded In Historical Context, American Fatherhood Provides A Much More Realistic Picture Of How Fatherhood Has Been Performed Within Different Kinds Of Families. Each Protagonist Covers A Crucial Period Or Event In American History, Presents A Different Family Constellation, And Makes A Different Argument With Regard To How American Society Is Governed Through The Family. Introduction -- Fathers And The New Republic, 1770-1840 -- Challenging Love, Marriage, And The Nuclear Family, 1820-1870 -- Slavery, Family, And Fatherhood, 1830-1860 -- Daughters, Fathers, And The Westward Movement, 1850-1880 -- Being A Father And A Soldier In The Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Bachelors In Urban America, 1870-1930 -- Immigrant Families In Urban America, 1880-1920 -- Indigenous And Modern Fathers, 1890-1950 -- Unemployed Fathers In The 1930s -- Fatherhood In World War Ii And The Cold War, 1940-1960 -- Families, Fathers, And The Black Community, 1950-2010 -- Queer Parents And Fatherhood Movements, 1970-2010 -- Conclusion. Jürgen Martschukat ; Translated From The German By Petra Goedde. In English.