Daughters of the Declaration: How Women Social Entrepreneurs Built the American Dream by Claire Gaudiani and David Graham Burnett
Daughters of the Declaration: How Women Social Entrepreneurs Built the American Dream by Claire Gaudiani and David Graham Burnett
From 1776 until the end of World War II, America achieved an unprecedented level of economic and social prosperity. The nation became a model for other countries around the world. America's success was the product of a unique combination: a market economy, a representative democracy, and a social profit sector. Daughters of the Declaration explores the history of this third sector, created and led by female entrepreneurs whose common goal was to turn the ideals of the Declaration of Independence -- that all men are created equal, and are endowed with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- into a lived reality for an ever-increasing number of Americans.
Many people assume that famous capitalists are responsible for this tradition of private citizens contributing to the good of the country. But as Gaudiani and Burnett demonstrate, a diverse group of women entrepreneurs were building a culture of citizen generosity many decades before male industrialists-turned-philanthropists built universities and foundations bearing their names. These women of different races, classes, and religions organized local associations to create value in their communities. The authors argue that the creation of these patriotic social enterprises constitutes the original women's movement in America, long before concerns about suffrage or women's liberation arose.
Women initially focused on improving the standard of living for widows and orphans, then gradually expanded into national campaigns for universal education, public health, juvenile justice, temperance, child labor reform, immigrant assistance, abolition, scientific research, and animal protection. With sharp entrepreneurial vision and clever strategies, these women pioneered a social profit sector that not only improved the nation's well-being and economy but created the ongoing tradition of not-for-profit, citizen leadership that distinguishes American culture.
Public Affairs, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2011
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.