J
Judith Giesberg
Judith Giesberg is a historian whose work examines American history. She is the author of "Sex and the Civil War," a book that explores social aspects of that era.
Sex and the Civil War
Sex and the Civil War
- Pages
- 152
- Published
- 2017
- Language
- English
Synopsis
During the Civil War, soldiers gained unprecedented access to a wide array of obscene materials, from erotic fiction to visual media, fueled by unique legal, technological, and commercial factors. This book investigates the prevalence of pornography in military camps and the subsequent alarm it caused among reformers and lawmakers. It connects these illicit materials to a significant postwar moral backlash, which ultimately led to the Comstock laws and a redefinition of sex and reproduction regulation in America. This pioneering study examines 19th-century American soldiers' engagement with erotica and its profound influence on societal debates about sex and marriage.