Dangerous to Know Women, Crime, and Notoriety in the Early Republic Susan Branson "A rich, detailed account of an illustrative set of crimes and of the fine grain of the emergence of the penny press out of sentimental culture. Branson is to be commended for her scholarly rigor and sophisticated narrative technique."--"Journal of American History" "Branson brings us an account of sex and violence in an era marked by political unrest, social instability, and economic uncertainty . . . and] urges us to rethink simplistic ideas about gender dynamics and the relative power (and powerlessness) of women at the time."--"Journal of the Early Republic" "A fascinating story that sheds light on gender roles in post-Revolutionary America. Most studies of women in this period almost necessarily focus on the elite. "Dangerous to Know" goes a few steps lower on the social ladder, allowing us to glimpse the lives of women who, while their values were 'middle class, ' had suffered significant downward mobility. As Branson so engagingly shows, these were women who deliberately violated gender conventions even as they strove to retain a veneer of respectability."--Sheila Skemp, University of Mississippi In 1823, the "History of the Celebrated Mrs. Ann Carson" rattled Philadelphia society and became one of the most scandalous, and eagerly read, memoirs of the age. This tale of a woman who tried to rescue her lover from the gallows and attempted to kidnap the governor of Pennsylvania tantalized its audience with illicit love, betrayal, and murder. Carson's ghostwriter, Mary Clarke, was no less daring. Clarke pursued dangerous associations and wrote scandalous exposes based on her own and others' experiences. She immersed herself in the world of criminals and disreputable actors, using her acquaintance with this demimonde to shape a career as a sensationalist writer. In "Dangerous to Know," Susan Branson follows the fascinating lives of Ann Carson and Mary Clarke, offering an engaging study of gender and class in the early nineteenth century. According to Branson, episodes in both women's lives illustrate their struggles within a society that constrained women's activities and ambitions. She argues that both women simultaneously tried to conform to and manipulate the dominant sexual, economic, and social ideologies of the time. In their own lives and through their writing, the pair challenged conventions prescribed by these ideologies to further their own ends and redefine what was possible for women in early American public life. Susan Branson is Associate Professor of American Studies at Syracuse University and the author of "These Fiery Frenchified Dames: Women and Political Culture in Early National Philadelphia," also published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. 2008 200 pages 6 x 9 8 illus. ISBN 978-0-8122-4088-7 Cloth $55.00s 36.00 ISBN 978-0-8122-2187-9 Paper $19.95s 13.00 ISBN 978-0-8122-0142-0 Ebook $19.95s 13.00 World Rights American History, Women's/Gender Studies Short copy: This tale of kidnapping, betrayal, and murder follows the lives of two women on the margins of early nineteenth-century society, showing how they manipulated conventions to further their own ends while redefining what was possible for women in early American public life.

"An important book. . . . A model of concise and elegant research and writing."--"Journal of the Early Republic" "Branson argues convincingly that, contrary to the claims of recent historians, women in the revolutionary era had an identity as women, that many of them were feminists in these years. This book contributes a great deal to the current debate about the meaning of the American Revolution for women."--Sheila Skemp, University of Mississippi On July 4, 1796, a group of women gathered in York, Pennsylvania, to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of American independence. They drank tea and toasted the Revolution, the Constitution, and, finally, the rights of women. This event would have been unheard of thirty years before, but a popular political culture developed after the war in which women were actively involved, despite the fact that they could not vote or hold political office. This newfound atmosphere not only provided women with opportunities to celebrate national occasions outside the home but also enabled them to conceive of possessing specific rights in the young republic and to demand those rights in very public ways. Susan Branson examines the avenues through which women's presence became central to the competition for control of the nation's political life and, despite attempts to quell the emerging power of women--typified by William Cobbett's derogatory label of politically active women as "these fiery Frenchified dames"--demonstrates that the social, political, and intellectual ideas regarding women in the post-Revolutionary era contributed to a more significant change in women's public lives than most historians have recognized. As an early capital of the United States, the leading publishing center, and the largest and most cosmopolitan city in America during the eighteenth century, Philadelphia exerted a considerable influence on national politics, society, and culture. It was in Philadelphia that the Federalists and Democratic Republicans first struggled for America's political future, with women's involvement critical to the outcome of their heated partisan debates. Middle and upper-class women of Philadelphia were able to achieve a greater share in the culture and politics of the new nation through several key developments, including theaters and salons that were revitalized following the war, allowing women to intermingle and participate in political discussions, and the wider availability of national and international writings, particularly those that described women's involvement in the French Revolution--perhaps the most important and controversial historical event in the early development of American women's political consciousness. Given these circumstances, Branson argues, American women were able to create new more active social and political roles for themselves that brought them out of the home and into the public sphere. Although excluded from the formal political arenas of voting and lawmaking, American women in the Age of Revolution nevertheless thought and acted politically and were able to make their presence and opinions known to the benefit of a young nation. "Branson's work removes women from the remote confines of the domestic sphere, where they have resided for so long, and propels them to the center of politics and life."--"Historian" Susan Branson teaches history at the University of Texas at Dallas.

In Scientific Americans, Susan Branson explores the place of science and technology in American efforts to achieve cultural independence from Europe and America's nation building in the early republic and antebellum eras. This engaging tour of scientific education and practices among ordinary citizens charts the development of nationalism and national identity alongside roads, rails, and machines. Scientific Americans shows how informal scientific education provided by almanacs, public lectures, and demonstrations, along with the financial encouragement of early scientific societies, generated an enthusiasm for the application of science and technology to civic, commercial, and domestic improvements. Not only that: Americans were excited, awed, and intrigued with the practicality of inventions. Bringing together scientific research and popular wonder, Branson charts how everything from mechanical clocks to steam engines informed the creation and expansion of the American nation. From the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations to the fate of the Amistad captives, Scientific Americans shows how the promotion and celebration of discoveries, inventions, and technologies articulated Americans' earliest ambitions, as well as prejudices, throughout the first American century.

Aloe vera isn't just for sunburns! The familiar gel from aloe vera plants has amazing antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that stretch far beyond skincare. From managing diabetes and fighting viruses to stimulating the immune system and preventing tumor growth, aloe vera is a miracle plant! Mahatma Gandhi even credited aloe vera with helping him maintain his strength through long periods of fasting!Millions of people are turning away from the harsh effects of modern solutions and back to the gentle but powerful benefits of nature’s oldest remedies. In her 101 Amazing Uses series, Susan Branson, a holistic nutritional consultant, expertly outlines 101 incredible uses for aloe vera, apple cider vinegar, ginger, essential oils, and more. Each book is divided into tabbed sections filled with a total of 101 easy-to-read, bite-sized benefits for everything from health to beauty to household cleaning. Promote healthy skin, reduce stress, boost your metabolism, tenderize meat, and more with these simple, accessible, natural solutions.