A Woman's Dilemma: Mercy Otis Warren and the American Revolution (American Biographical History Series)

In the first full-length study of Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) to appear in a generation, Professor Zagarri draws on recent work in social, political, and women's history to provide a penetrating analysis of one of the most fascinating women to live in the era of the American Revolution.

A loving wife and the mother of five sons, Warren accepted the validity of traditional female roles. At the same time, events thrust her, as a member of one of the most prominent families in Massachusetts, into the center of the revolutionary maelstrom. She became a poet, political satirist, and playwright of the patriot cause. Her works lampooned royal authority and helped galvanize resistance to Great Britain. As resistance became revolution, Warren formed a network of women friends whose writings provided support for one another and bolstered the war effort.

Paradoxically, American victory brought disillusionment to Warren and her clan. Alarmed by the increasing superficiality and materialism of everyday life, she became a permanent critic of American society. The author of an influential antifederalist tract, she never really reconciled herself to the new order. In 1805 she published her greatest work, History of the American Revolution, which even today is acknowledged to be one of the earliest and most accurate accounts of the period.