American Infidelity The Gilded Age Battle Over Freethought, Free Love, and Feminism

by Green, Steven K.

• ISBN13: 9780197822265
• ISBN10: 0197822266
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780197822272
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2026-04-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Summary

American Infidelity is a timely, provocative exploration of a forgotten chapter in American history--one that still echoes in our most urgent cultural debates.

In the final decades of the 19th century, America stood at a cultural crossroads. Evangelical Protestantism reigned supreme, shaping laws, morals, and public life. But beneath the surface, a bold countercurrent surged--freethinkers, feminists, and sexual radicals who dared to imagine a freer, more equal society.

In American Infidelity, historian Steven K. Green tells the riveting story of this ideological showdown. At its center were two powerful forces: a rising movement of skeptics and reformers who challenged religious orthodoxy and social convention, and the reactionary crusaders--led by the infamous Anthony Comstock--who fought to silence them. These "infidels," as Comstock branded them, weren't just questioning God--they were demanding access to birth control, advocating for divorce reform, and championing women's autonomy over their minds and bodies.
Figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton pushed feminism beyond the vote, calling for sexual and economic liberation. Freethought leaders rejected the idea that America was a Christian nation, insisting instead on reason, inquiry, and personal freedom. But their vision of a more open society collided head-on with a moral panic that sought to preserve traditional values at all costs.

Green's gripping narrative reveals how this battle over belief, sex, and power shaped the cultural DNA of the United States. Drawing on vivid historical sources, he shows how the freethought and feminist movements were ultimately suppressed--but not extinguished. Their legacy lives on in today's ongoing struggles over reproductive rights, censorship, and the role of religion in public life.

Author Biography

Steven K. Green is Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He teaches courses in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Education Law, Jurisprudence, Legal History, and American Religious History. Green holds a law degree from the University of Texas, and earned his master's in religious history and PhD in constitutional history from the University of North Carolina. He has authored seven books on religion, law, and history.