American Sexual History

Author: Elizabeth Reis
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Features: People have always engaged in heterosexual, homosexual, and masturbation; they have used contraception, been raped, and had abortions. However, it is not always clear how the frequency and nature of these behaviors, as well as their acceptance or rejection, have changed over time. Due to changes in the interpretation and application of moral values, issues related to the application of these values have taken on new meanings and implications. The material life habits of colonial America and the United States—how people made a living, where they lived, and how they lived, as well as what they produced, purchased, and used—underwent significant changes, affecting all aspects of life, including sexual morality and behavior. This book explores the history of changing American sexual activities, examining it as a product of dialogue between values and the changing material environment. The essays collected in this book necessarily emphasize divisions, focusing on the times and places where people's sexual desires or roles challenged dominant behavioral norms, or where social boundaries and taboos attempted to regulate individual sexual behavior. Indeed, during these contentious moments, certain norms and practices were always defined or redefined. The essays collected in this book identify specific historical moments when sexual activity issues became prominent and cultural structures were questioned and contested. Some themes, such as the relationship between the sexual activities of Native Americans during the colonial period and Christian beliefs, or the emergence of new characteristics of homosexuality in the 20th century, are specific phenomena of certain historical periods; other aspects, such as the relationship between marriage and sexual activity, are enduring themes throughout American history. However, for convenience or to highlight the context of the continuously debated issues, I had to make difficult choices, dividing the book into several parts and considering some themes within specific chronological periods. Each essay is accompanied by primary sources, and in most cases, the same sources are analyzed by different authors. Reading such materials directly connects students to the historical context they are studying, allowing them to engage with methodological issues of evaluating and interpreting evidence. University instructors may wish to use these primary sources for historical exploration and evaluation. In this way, after studying a series of historical documents analyzing the meaning and practice of sexuality among American men and women from the colonial period to the present, students can also gain insight into how historians work. Reading these primary sources can also inspire some students to challenge the specific interpretations provided here and draw bold conclusions. An important point for students to understand: Our understanding of sexual activity has become a significant foundation for the social structures of sexual and racial, as well as cultural, identity and difference; beliefs and standards have changed over time; and issues related to sexuality have become a focal point throughout American history, one of great significance, concern, debate, and conflict. The essays collected in this book necessarily emphasize divisions, focusing on the times and places where people's sexual desires or roles challenged dominant behavioral norms, or where social boundaries and taboos attempted to regulate individual sexual behavior. Indeed, during these contentious moments, certain norms and practices were always defined or redefined. The essays collected in this book identify specific historical moments when sexual activity issues became prominent and cultural structures were questioned and contested. Some themes, such as the relationship between the sexual activities of Native Americans during the colonial period and Christian beliefs, or the emergence of new characteristics of homosexuality in the 20th century, are specific phenomena of certain historical periods; other aspects, such as the relationship between marriage and sexual activity, are enduring themes throughout American history. However, for convenience or to highlight the context of the continuously debated issues, I had to make difficult choices, dividing the book into several parts and considering some themes within specific chronological periods. Each essay is accompanied by primary sources, and in most cases, the same sources are analyzed by different authors. Reading such materials directly connects students to the historical context they are studying, allowing them to engage with methodological issues of evaluating and interpreting evidence. University instructors may wish to use these primary sources for historical exploration and evaluation. In this way, after studying a series of historical documents analyzing the meaning and practice of sexuality among American men and women from the colonial period to the present, students can also gain insight into how historians work. Reading these primary sources can also inspire some students to challenge the specific interpretations provided here and draw bold conclusions.