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Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation Paperback – February 15, 2005
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Legendary journalist Cokie Roberts' New York Times bestseller, Founding Mothers, is an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families—and their country—proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it.
While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. The late #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts brings us women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps.
Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favored recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington—proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might have never survived.
- Reading age6 - 10 years
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade levelPreschool - Kindergarten
- Lexile measure1120L
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches
- Publication dateFebruary 15, 2005
- ISBN-10006009026X
- ISBN-13978-0060090265
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Roberts has uncovered hundreds of personal anecdotes and woven them together in a single, suspenseful narrative with great skill.” — Washington Post Book World
From the Inside Flap
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts comes New York Times bestseller Founding Mothers, an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families-and their country-proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it.
While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts brings us women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favoured recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed and Martha Washington-proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might have never survived.
--Washington Post Book WorldFrom the Back Cover
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts comes New York Times bestseller Founding Mothers, an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families–and their country–proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it.
While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. #1 New York Times bestselling author Cokie Roberts brings us women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favoured recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed and Martha Washington–proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might have never survived.
About the Author
Cokie Roberts was a political commentator for ABC News and NPR. She won countless awards and in 2008 was named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. She was the author of the New York Times bestsellers We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters, Founding Mothers, Ladies of Liberty, and, with her husband, the journalist Steven V. Roberts, From This Day Forward and Our Haggadah.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Founding Mothers
The Women Who Raised Our NationBy Roberts, CokiePerennial
ISBN: 006009026XChapter One
Before 1775:
The Road to Revolution
Stirrings of Discontent
When you hear of a family with two brothers who fought heroicallyin the Revolutionary War, served their state in high office, and emerged as key figures in the new American nation,don't you immediately think, "They must have had a remarkablemother"? And so Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and Thomas Pinckney did. Today Eliza Lucas Pinckney would be the subject of talkshow gabfests and made-for-TV movies, a child prodigy turned into a celebrity. In the eighteenth century she was seen as just a considerate young woman performing her duty, with maybe a bit too much brainpowerfor her own good.
George Lucas brought his English wife and daughters to South Carolina in 1734 to claim three plantations left to him by his father.Before long, however, Lucas left for Antigua to rejoin his regiment infighting the war against Spain, leaving his sixteen-year-old daughterin charge of all the properties, plus her ailing mother and toddler sister.(The Lucas sons were at school in England.) Can you imagine asixteen-year-old girl today being handed those responsibilities? ElizaLucas willingly took them on. Because she reported to her father onher management decisions and developed the habit of copying herletters, Eliza's writings are some of the few from colonial women thathave survived.
The South Carolina Low Country, where Eliza was left to fend forthe family, was known for its abundance of rice and mosquitoes. Ricesupported the plantation owners and their hundreds of slaves; mosquitoessent the owners into Charleston (then Charles Town) for summermonths of social activities. Though Wappoo Plantation, the Lucashome, was only six miles from the city by water, seventeen by land,Eliza was far too busy, and far too interested in her agricultural experiments,to enjoy the luxuries of the city during the planting months.
The decision about where to live was entirely hers (again, canyou imagine leaving that kind of decision to a sixteen-year-old?), asEliza wrote to a friend in England in 1740: "My Papa and Mama'sgreat indulgence to me leaves it to me to choose our place of residenceeither in town or country." She went on to describe her arduouslife: "I have the business of three plantations to transact, whichrequires much writing and more business and fatigue of other sortsthan you can imagine. But least you should imagine it too burdensometo a girl at my early time of life, give me leave to answer you: Iassure you I think myself happy that I can be useful to so good a father,and by rising very early I find I can go through much business."And she did. Not only did she oversee the planting and harvesting ofthe crops on the plantations, but she also taught her sister and someof the slave children, pursued her own intellectual education inFrench and English, and even took to lawyering to help poor neighbors.Eliza seemed to know that her legal activities were a bit overthe line, as she told a friend: "If you will not laugh immoderately at me I'll trust you with a secret. I have made two wills already." Shethen defended herself, explaining that she'd studied carefully whatwas required in will making, adding: "After all what can I do if a poorcreature lies a dying and their family taken it into their head that Ican serve them. I can't refuse; but when they are well and able toemploy a lawyer, I always shall." The teenager had clearly madequite an impression in the Low Country.
The Lucases were land-rich but cash-poor, so Eliza's fatherscouted out some wealthy prospects as husband material for his delightfuldaughter. The young woman was having none of it. Her father'sattempts to marry her off to a man who could help pay themortgage were completely and charmingly rebuffed in a letter writtenwhen she was eighteen. "As you propose Mr. L. to me, I am sorryI can't have sentiments favorable enough of him to take time to thinkon the subject ... and beg leave to say to you that the riches of Peruand Chile if he had them put together could not purchase a sufficientesteem for him to make him my husband." So much for her father'splan to bring some money into the family. She then dismissed anothersuggestion for a mate: "I have so slight a knowledge of him Ican form no judgment of him." Eliza insisted that "a single life is myonly choice ... as I am yet but eighteen." Of course, many womenher age were married, and few would have brushed off their fathers soemphatically, but the feisty Miss Lucas was, despite the workload, having too much fun to settle down with some rich old coot.
Eliza loved "the vegetable world," as she put it, and experimentedwith different kinds of crops, always with a mind towardcommerce. She was keenly aware that the only cash crop South Carolinaexported to England was rice, and she was determined to findsomething else to bring currency into the colony and to make theplantations profitable. When she was nineteen, she wrote that shehad planted a large fig orchard "with design to dry and export them."She was always on the lookout for something that would grow well inthe southern soil. Reading her Virgil,she was happily surprised tofind herself "instructed in agriculture ... for I am persuaded thoughhe wrote in and for Italy, it will in many instances suit Carolina."
By her own account, Eliza was always cooking up schemes. Shewrote to her friend Mary Bartlett: "I am making a large plantation ofoaks which I look upon as my own property, whether my father givesme the land or not."
Continues...Excerpted from Founding Mothersby Roberts, Cokie Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (February 15, 2005)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 006009026X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060090265
- Reading age : 6 - 10 years
- Lexile measure : 1120L
- Grade level : Preschool - Kindergarten
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #154,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #344 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #427 in Women in History
- #1,860 in Women's Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Cokie Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News, providing analysis for all network news programming. From 1996-2002 she and Sam Donaldson co-anchored the weekly ABC interview program This Week. Roberts also serves as commentator for National Public Radio. In her more than forty years in broadcasting, she has won countless awards, including three Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.
Cokie Roberts has written several bestselling books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters, Founding Mothers, and Ladies of Liberty. In addition she has written two books with her husband, Steven V. Roberts, that include From This Day Forward, an account of their now more than forty-five year marriage and other marriages in American history, which immediately went onto the New York Times bestseller list, and Our Haggadah: Uniting Traditions for Interfaith Families. Cokie Roberts holds more than twenty honorary degrees, serves on the boards of several non-profit institutions and President Bush appointed her to his Commission on Service and Civic Participation. In 2008 the Library of Congress named her a “Living Legend,” one of the very few Americans to have attained that honor.
She is the mother of two and grandmother of six.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book an interesting and informative read that provides a detailed account of the women behind the scenes of history. They appreciate the author's research and open-minded approach to the content. The book highlights the importance of women in the founding of America from a feminine perspective. Readers describe the women featured as smart, resourceful, and tough. They praise their fortitude, courage, and strength of faith. The visual style is described as colorful and delightful.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting and well-written. They appreciate the notes and cast of characters, making it a good addition to school or personal libraries. The premise is intriguing and the stories are compelling.
"...What a wonderful book that I look forward to rereading." Read more
"...As far as this book went, it was a great read, I just would have appreciated more on all these fascinating women...." Read more
"...He was a great man in many ways, brilliant and creative and an inventor to boot. But he was a selfish and egocentric character as well...." Read more
"...Overall decent book, but lacking from its narrow focus." Read more
Customers find the book informative and well-researched. It provides a good background and examples of women heroes during the war. Readers say it helps further their overall understanding of the war and is indispensable for cultural development.
"...The book was informative and while told with respect and reverence, there just enough of a sense of humor to convey that we are all the same in..." Read more
"...-law", in most histories, was actually a remarkable, strong, intelligent, and accomplished woman...." Read more
"...However, while the book was very informative in certain areas I felt that it got caught up in the day to day activity of each woman and failed to..." Read more
"...nation by adding the essential ingredients of character, wisdom, intelligence, energy, passions, and good sense of the women married to the founding..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's history content. They find it interesting and an engaging way to learn about America's beginning from a feminine perspective. The book covers the years from the Stamp Act through John Adams' election as President of the new nation. Readers appreciate the author's style that makes history entertaining.
"...He was a great man in many ways, brilliant and creative and an inventor to boot. But he was a selfish and egocentric character as well...." Read more
"...throughout the book, we now have a fuller and more realistic picture of the times and circumstances, not to mention some of the more difficult parts..." Read more
"...However, it is arranged in chronological order, chapters covering major parts of history...." Read more
"...The book covers the years from the Stamp Act through John Adams' election as President of the new nation of free and equal men...." Read more
Customers find the book informative and interesting about the women behind the scenes of history. They appreciate the detailed account of the women who had an active role in founding the country. The women featured are smart, resourceful, and tough. Readers have sympathy and admiration for the women who helped found this nation.
"...The book was informative and while told with respect and reverence, there just enough of a sense of humor to convey that we are all the same in..." Read more
"...The women are the centerpiece, with the men on the periphery...." Read more
"...There is so much interesting information about the women of the Revolutionary period that you will learn things you never had in history class...." Read more
"...to say that the book was very informative by providing a very detailed account of the women who had an active role in shaping this country and its..." Read more
Customers appreciate the strong women in the book. They find them courageous, intelligent, and self-sacrificing. The characters inspire them and remind them of their capabilities. Readers admire their faith, moral conviction, and willingness.
"...as "common-law", in most histories, was actually a remarkable, strong, intelligent, and accomplished woman...." Read more
"...These are women of great endurance, intellect, drive, passion, wisdom and vision...." Read more
"This book reviews the courage and strength of the of my 6th and 7th great grandmothers...." Read more
"...so dangerous and trying that one marvels at their ingenuity, strength of character and fortitude...." Read more
Customers find the book visually appealing and engaging. They appreciate the well-written, colorful history that provides a realistic perspective on women's roles in American history. The book is presented in a relaxed and easy-to-read style that conveys the author's message effectively.
"Not an easy book to grab and hold attention but facinating just the same. No longer is Betsy Ross the only female icon in US HIStory...." Read more
"...America's history is rich, deep, colorful, engrossing, ....this "book" was bland, shallow, dull, boring......I couldn't finish it even..." Read more
"...It's nicely illustrated and a VERY quick read but, as it's written for ages 6 and up, a little light on substance...." Read more
"...This was a very interesting look into the women who influenced the principles that help design our government. Well worth the read!" Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find the writing witty and brave. The author's direct comments to the reader are appreciated.
"...and while told with respect and reverence, there just enough of a sense of humor to convey that we are all the same in human nature, whether of the..." Read more
"...Her comments directly to the reader were wonderful, especially her comments about how Congress hasn't changed one bit from the first to now...." Read more
"...; poorly-written; hard-to-read; hard-to-follow; inappropriate personal comments throughout, with almost no serious analysis of the data..." Read more
"...events she relates, the book is very well written with a dose of humor here and there and ample sympathy and admiration for the women who helped..." Read more
Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it well-written and accessible, while others find parts difficult to follow. The writing style is described as easy to read and stimulating, while others consider it poorly written and unsatisfying.
"...And it reads as easy as a novel, with plots that would make many novels seem pale by comparison...." Read more
"...Normally, I read all the notes, but these just weren't worth the trouble to read...." Read more
"Cokie Roberts writes well, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It brought many facts to light that I had not been aware of...." Read more
"...It is a very dense book and is not a quick read...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2005I thoroughly enjoyed Founding Mothers: The Women Who raised Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts. The book was informative and while told with respect and reverence, there just enough of a sense of humor to convey that we are all the same in human nature, whether of the 18th or 21rst centuries. The timeline was such that the reader can see and to a large extent feel the unfolding of rebellion, war, independence, and a new, tentative, national government. In reading the notes and introduction I hadn't appreciated just how difficult it would be to navigate the longhand of the day and to "translate" its intent into enough modern day usage and spelling so we can easily understand what the women of the day were trying to say. Some museums I have been to have displayed large examples of such writing and I find myself going cross-eyed trying to read it. I thank Cokie Roberts and whoever assisted her in these endeavors. (I also find myself talking and writing in 18th century-ese.)
I want to posthumously shake some of our female ancestors for having destroyed too much of their correspondence. Didn't they realize that I, much less Cokie Roberts, would want to read every word? Well maybe they did but I imagine they were thinking more of their contemporaries and how they might choose to use their letters. Still and all how I wish we could read more of the thoughts of Martha Jefferson, Martha Washington, Betsey Hamilton than we have.
I have recently taken a huge interest in early American history and I have some thoughts, comments, and questions about the substance of the book. In Chapter Two the author asks if Abigail was being playful in regard to her "remember the ladies" letter. I think she was being playful in one sense and most deadly serious in another. The substance and intent of the letter was as serious as could be, don't leave the ladies out of all political consideration! But her line, "we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation" shows she knew it would probably make her husband grin at the ironic references to his own similarly written grievances against the British Crown. The fact that John answered in a joking manner indicates to me that he knew at least in part she was trying to make him smile. The references were playful to soften the letter although the intent was serious. And one wonders just how seriously Abigail actually thought she and her contemporaries could foment a rebellion. Was she referring to posterity? I would like to think so. I believe many of the letters of the day were written with future generations of readers in mind and we can only assume that Abigail envisioned the women's movement that would begin--when, where? Here is where my reading fails me. With Emmeline Pankhurst in Britain in the 1870's? I don't know.
As I have progressed with my other reading, various questions have occured to me which have not been answered to my satisfaction. One among them, Why did the British give up after Yorktown? I understand in general why they must have come to realize that to continue the effort at so great a distance and expense was ultimately useless. But which British official first thought, felt, wrote, it's time to change our thinking? I would like to know of any book that goes into the British thinking after Yorktown. The books I have read so far tell of Yorktown, then of peace negotiations and the peace treaty. But what took place in the confines of the British ministry between Yorktown and the beginning of serious peace negotiations? It is the details which fascinate. Just as many American women of the time encouraged their husbands to continue to resist, which English politician's wife whispered in her husband's ear, "Enough is enough!"
Another question--When was the "U" in United States first capitalized? Jefferson, or someone, chose not to capitalize it in the Declaration of Independence which indicates to me that they didn't think of the united States as an official name yet.
I assume everyone in America has an idea for a television series and so do I. Cokie Roberts has written so many stories of early American women, each one more fascinating than the next. Why not a series based on these stories? The woman who dressed as a man--Robert Shurcliff (Deborah Sampson), the spies and aids, Nancy Hart, Ann Gwinnett, the fundraisers, Esther DeBerdt, and more.
I want to conclude by once more thanking Cokie Roberts for Founding Mothers. What a wonderful book that I look forward to rereading.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2013Nonfiction/History/Biography
384 pages / 490 KB
Footnotes / Endnotes: Yes (not identified in text)
Illustrations: No
Suitable for eReaders: Yes
4 stars
This was a fun read. It was obvious Cokie Roberts had a good time both researching and writing this book. She brought not only the women alive, but the men they were attached to. Her comments directly to the reader were wonderful, especially her comments about how Congress hasn't changed one bit from the first to now.
Even if you don't particularly care for history, I think you will enjoy this book. The women are the centerpiece, with the men on the periphery. If you've ever wondered what Martha Washington thought and did for George, this is the book to tell you.
I truly wish she had carried the bios out a bit further - what happened to Martha after George died? Sally Hemings is barely mentioned, and yet my understanding is, she had a large bearing on Jefferson after his wife died, she held the keys (literally) to his house, and ran it. As far as this book went, it was a great read, I just would have appreciated more on all these fascinating women.
I read this on my Kindle Fire, and saw no wee tiny blue numbers indicated foot/endnotes. At about 60% of my way through the book, I came upon the Cast of Characters, then a couple recipes (the one for crown soap was how to cut the soap, not actually make it) and then (I'm guessing here, I didn't really check) about 35% of end notes. Most seemed to be bibliography, and though they were by chapter, it was too difficult to find where the original was, so I didn't bother to look. Normally, I read all the notes, but these just weren't worth the trouble to read. (Suggestion for Cokie: See how Laurence Bergreen does his end notes.)
Do I recommend this book? Yes! (Amazon has a Note for Parents that the reading level of this book is Adult. I think any young person who reads beyond text messages or comics, can handle it. Personally, I think children should be encouraged to read above their grade level, but then, I was reading adult books when I was in the fifth grade;-)
- Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2014I'm not yet finished reading this book, but I already like it. There is so much interesting information about the women of the Revolutionary period that you will learn things you never had in history class. And it reads as easy as a novel, with plots that would make many novels seem pale by comparison. But you won't like Benjamin Franklin much after you read his wife's story! He was a great man in many ways, brilliant and creative and an inventor to boot. But he was a selfish and egocentric character as well. I suspect he was much better as a friend than as a husband. His wife, who is usually vaguely brushed off as "common-law", in most histories, was actually a remarkable, strong, intelligent, and accomplished woman. She raised Ben's illegitimate son as well as her own daughter with Ben (their son died tragically young), and ran his businesses while he gallivanted around Europe for years. She deserves better than the very few words accorded her in most histories. I am thankful to Cokie Roberts for telling her story.
Of course, Ben's neglected wife is not the only woman in this book. I just had to rant a little about the way she was treated! As I said, I haven't finished the book yet, so I'll be learning about the lives of many more interesting women as I continue with this book.
I definitely recommend this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2024These are some of the stories that we aren't taught in school, but we should know about the women behind the founding fathers. They are just as important as the men. and are a part of our history, too.
Top reviews from other countries
- Kimberlee Leanne SpielbergReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
An excellent, enjoyable and informative read.
One person found this helpfulReport -
shakespeare-kinsmenReviewed in France on March 13, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars Souvent les femmes...
Je n'en suis qu'au début du livre, mais je suis déjà conquis. Non pas vaincu, mais séduit et touché par ces Grandes Dames qui, elles, devaient, ou plutôt se faisaient un devoir de participer aussi, de près ou moins, aux trames politiques de leur époque. Elles doivent faire deux fronts : l'implication civique ou plus, politique, et la tenue de leur Maison (enfants, souvent nombreux, réceptions, etc.). Bien sûr l'époque couvre encore la sombre période esclavagiste, mais ce ou ces derniers semblaient, sous la responsabilité de ces femmes, être un peu mieux considérés. Ceci n'enlève rien, et c'est mon opinion, au caractère insupportable de la notion même d'esclave à quelque degré que ce soit (d'ailleurs le 13 è amendement n'a pas tout réglé). On apprend ce qu'étaient les conditions de vie, dures, incertaines, mais aussi pleines d'espérances et de possibles, de ces décades cruciales pour l'Amérique, et donc pour le monde. Incontournable pour qui s'intéresse ne serait-ce qu'un peu à ce pays.