American Sexual Histories

“A comprehensive, eye-opening collection of essays and meaningful documents. Elizabeth Reis forces us to reevaluate what we think we know about sex in American history.” – Nancy Isenberg, Louisiana State University

“This terrific book does two things at once. It shows why sexuality has become such an important window onto the American past. And it illustrates concretely how primary sources are transformed into history.” – Ellen Herman, University of Oregon

“An extremely useful survey of sexual history in the United States, representing the diversity of race/ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation, and featuring an excellent selection of primary documents.” – Susan Stryker, University of Arizona

“Although my students loved―and learned much―from the first edition of American Sexual Histories, the updated second edition is even better. Great primary sources―important and current historical scholarship―both challenging and absorbing. Highly teachable!” – Gail Bederman, Notre Dame University

The second edition of American Sexual Histories features an updated collection of sixteen articles by prominent historians and their corresponding primary sources that investigate issues related to human sexuality in America from the colonial era to the present day. Reflecting the myriad ways historians interpret and analyze sexuality and sexual trends, the essays offer in-depth exploration of topics such as contraception, prostitution, interracial relationships, same-sex desire, reproductive politics, and intersex and transgender history. Taken as a whole, the essays richly illustrate how the evolution of sexuality in America is a product of an ongoing negotiation of moral values and shifting political and economic circumstances.

The chapters are arranged chronologically and include introductions by editor Elizabeth Reis which lend clarity and add historical context to the major articles and the supporting documents that follow. The carefully selected couplings of essays and primary sources allow readers to evaluate historical documents for themselves, test the interpretations of historians, and draw independent conclusions. Both scholarly and highly accessible, American Sexual Histories offers illuminating insights into the complex evolution of sex and sexuality in America.

Elizabeth Reis is Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Oregon. She is the author of Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex (2009) and Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England (1997).