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"Women are the backbone of the church," says an old African-American aphorism. Since the 1660s, women have made up the majority of members in almost all American religious groups. They have provided essential financial and social support and worked tirelessly in the background of church-based activities. Throughout American history, women have raised money for churches and synagogues, embroidered altar cloths, taught Sunday school, prepared parish meals, and sung in the choir. They have educated their children in their beliefs and taken them to their places of worship. Yet it is primarily men who have historically occupied the high rungs of church hierarchy and made the important decisions affecting their congregations. Ann Braude examines the central role of women in American religious history, focusing on their efforts to achieve greater recognition and equal rights, their recent admission to religious leadership, and the emergence of feminist theology in the late 20th century. Colonist Margaret Winthrop, African-American preacher Jarena Lee, Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy, and Zionist leader Henrietta Szold are among the women discussed in these pages who have made major contributions to the spiritual and material growth of religious organizations in America.
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SISTERS AND SAINTS
SISTERS AND SAINTS Women and American Religion
ANN BRAUDE
1 2008
3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2001, 2008 First published in hardcover as Women and American Religion (2000). Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Braude, Ann. Sisters and Saints : women and American religion / Ann Braude. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-533309-1 (pbk.) 1. Women and religion—United States—History. 2. United States—Religion. I. Title. BL458.B67 2007 200.82'0973—dc22 2007026765 Frontispiece: Herminia Villaescusa holds a candle, a missal, a rosary, and white flowers in honor of the Virgin for her First Communion in a Mexican Catholic church in 1932. In many communities young girls are still dressed like brides for their first participation in the sacrament. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
For my grandmother, Vicci Sperry
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
“Women Are the Backbone of the Church” 1
CHAPTER ONE
Planting Religious Households 4
CHAPTER TWO
When the Spirit Moves Women 28
CHAPTER THREE
Mothers and Daughters Maintain the Home 48 CHAPTER FOUR
Organized Womanhood 69
CHAPTER FIVE
Old Faiths in New Times 94
CHRONOLOGY 121 FURTHER READING 124 INDEX 128
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INTRODUCTION
“Women Are the Backbone of the Church”
A
n old saying among members of African-American churches can be applied to most religious groups in the United Stat