Sentiments of a British-American Woman

"Esther’s story falls into four broad categories. Chapters 1 through 4 focus on her initiation and management of her courtship (1764–65). Chapters 5 and 6 explore how she and Joseph, living on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, first sought to accumulate the political and economic capital that would allow them to marry and live in London, and then retreated into exile in provincial America (1766–70). Chapter 7 deals with her unhappiness in America, her ever-growing family, and the impressive financial success she and Joseph achieved in Philadelphia between 1770 and 1775. Chapters 8 through 10 probe the nature of her decision for American independence and describe her wartime suffering as well as the Reeds’ rapid political ascent (1776–80). Chapters 11 and 12 detail her extraordinary political summer of 1780, her sudden death, the deterioration and death of Joseph, and the dispersion of their children. The coda offers a final appraisal of Esther DeBerdt Reed’s place among the founders of the American republic."