My research and publications examine interrelated issues of gender, race, family, and policy primarily in a 19th century rural context. Initially, I focused on the effects of westward expansion into the Old Northwest (and beyond) on rural women, families, and communities.
My ongoing projects include: the impact of homesteading in Kansas and the Great Plains on women, families, and the environment; women’s roles in agricultural colleges (for example, Mary Van Zile at Kansas State Agricultural College); and, Midwestern Civil War soldiers’ reactions to encountering the Confederate South and slavery.
Subject Areas:
- Military History and International Relations
- Civil War and Reconstruction in 19th Century US
- Science, Technology, Medicine and Environment
- Gender, Women, and Sexuality
- Social and Cultural History
- Modern/Recent History
Geographical Area: U.S.
Keywords: Nineteenth-century U.S. History, Women's History, Agricultural/Rural History, the Civil War
