Sisters in Spirit

The early American suffragettes and radical feminists of the late nineteenth century drew inspiration for their movement from Iroquois women. These women had always possessed rights beyond the wildest imagination of their European sisters: control of their own bodies, custody of the children they bore, the power to initiate divorce, choice in the type of work they did, and the enjoyment of a home life free of violence. Sally Roesch Wagner recounts the compelling history of women's struggle for freedom and equality in this country and documents the Iroquois influence on this broad social movement. The revolutionary changes unleashed by the Iroquois/feminist relationship continue to shape our lives.