Item
Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America
title
Charity and Sylvia: A Same-Sex Marriage in Early America
viaf
publisher
Oxford University Press, Incorporated, Oxford University Press
publication year
2014
description
In Charity and Sylvia, Rachel Hope Cleves investigates the relationship of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake who lived together as “husband” and “wife” in the 18th century. In this way, Cleves lengthens the history of “same-sex marriage” by showing how early America held pockets of tolerance for same-sex unions. In the rural New England town in which they lived, Charity and Sylvia were respected members of the community who drew on the tradition of common-law marriage in Europe to legitimize their marriage in their own eyes and the eyes of their community. In this exhaustively researched book, Cleves breaks the assumption that two cis women could know or did not have sex. A pleasurable and fast read, this book is a staple for those interested in learning more about the white queer experience in New England towns in early America.
education level
temporal
reviewer
Rachael Scott
was created by
Cleves, Rachel Hope