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Taming Passion for the Public Good - Policing Sex in the Early Republic (Hardcover)
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Taming Passion for the Public Good - Policing Sex in the Early Republic (Hardcover)
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"Kann's latest tour de force explores the ambivalence, during the
founding of our nation, about whether political freedom should
augur sexual freedom. Tracing the roots of patriarchal sexual
repression back to revolutionary America, Kann asks highly
contemporary questions about the boundaries between public and
private life, suggesting, provocatively, that political and sexual
freedom should go hand in hand. This is a must-read for those
interested in the interwining of politics, public life, and
sexuality." -Ben Agger, University of Texas at Arlington The
American Revolution was fought in the name of liberty. In popular
imagination, the Revolution stands for the triumph of populism and
the death of patriarchal elites. But this is not the case, argues
Mark E. Kann. Rather, in the aftermath of the Revolution, America
developed a society and system of laws that kept patriarchal
authority alive and well-especially when it came to the sex lives
of citizens. In Taming Passion for the Public Good, Kann contends
that that despite the rhetoric of classical liberalism, the
founding generation did not trust ordinary citizens with extensive
liberty. Through the policing of sex, elites sought to maintain
control of individuals' private lives, ensuring that citizens would
be productive, moral, and orderly in the new nation. New American
elites applauded traditional marriages in which men were the public
face of the family and women managed the home. They frowned on
interracial and interclass sexual unions. They saw masturbation as
evidence of a lack of self-control over one's passions, and they
considered prostitution the result of aggressive female sexuality.
Both were punishable offenses. By seeking to police sex, elites
were able to keep alive what Kann calls a "resilient patriarchy."
Under the guise of paternalism, they were able simultaneously to
retain social control while espousing liberal principles, with the
goal of ultimately molding the country into the new American ideal:
a moral and orderly citizenry that voluntarily did what was best
for the public good.
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