Seminar Description

Well before the infamous cases that inspired the musical Chicago, dozens of Chicago women on trial for murdering their husbands secured acquittal by casting themselves as respectable, vulnerable women victimized by their own hysteria. This strategy succeeded for many women until the 1910s, when it came under attack by Progressive Era suffragists, lawyers, and journalists. What changed? In this seminar, we explore the intersection of women’s rights and law in Progressive Era Chicago.

Five sessions. E – $185, R – $203.50

Rachel Boyle holds a PhD in U.S. and public history. She is a public historian and co–founder of Omnia History, a public history collaborative dedicated to using the past to promote social change in the present. Her research focuses on movement and violence in Chicago and the Midwest.

Materials List

Required:

• A selection of shorter materials distributed by the instructor.

First Reading:

• Please read Robert Ireland's "Frenzied and Fallen Females: Women and Sexual Dishonor in the Nineteenth-Century United States" (a digital file of this reading will be sent with the email confirming your registration).

Registration Information

• Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Tuesday, January 7.
• Phone registration opens at 12 pm (CST) on Wednesday, January 8.

Early registration (E) prices are in effect from January 7 at 9 am through January 24 at 4 pm. Regular registration (R) prices are in effect January 24 at 4 pm through the end of the term.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

Need Help? Please email seminars@newberry.org.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies and procedures, or teaching a seminar.