February 2024 MBR The American History Shelf

The American History Shelf

Fighting for a Free Missouri
Sydney Norton
University of Missouri Press
https://upress.missouri.edu
9780826222923, $55.00, HC, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Free-Missouri-Immigrants-Americans/dp/08262=
22927

Synopsis: The state of Missouri is well-known for its German American herit=
age, but the story of nineteenth-century German immigrant abolitionists is =
often neglected in discussions of the state's history.

"Fighting for a Free Missouri: German Immigrants, African Americans, and th=
e Issue of Slavery" is a collection of ten original essays by Sydney Norton=
 that relate to what unfolded when idealistic Germans, many of whom were hi=
ghly educated and devoted to the ideals of freedom and democracy, left thei=
r homeland and settled in a pre-Civil War slave state.

Fleeing political persecution during the 1830s and 1840s, immigrants such a=
s Friedrich Munch, Eduard Muhl, Heinrich Boernstein, and Arnold Krekel arri=
ved in the area now known as the Missouri German Heritage Corridor in hopes=
 of finding a land more congenial to their democratic ideals. When they wit=
nessed the state of enslaved Blacks, many of them became abolitionist activ=
ists and fervent supporters of Abraham Lincoln and the Union in the emergin=
g Civil War.

Critique: Expertly compiled and edited by Sydney Norton, he and the other c=
ontributing authors to "Fighting for a Free Missouri: German Immigrants, Af=
rican Americans, and the Issue of Slavery" deftly explore the Germans' abol=
itionist mission, their relationships with African Americans, and their act=
ivity in the radical wing of the Republican Party. Markedly enhanced for th=
e reader with an informative Foreword by Gary R. Kremer, a four page listin=
g of the contributors and their credentials, and a nine page Index, "Fighti=
ng for a Free Missouri" is a seminal work of collective scholarship and an =
unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and=
 college/university library 19th Century American History collections in ge=
neral, and Missouri History curriculum studies lists in particular. It shou=
ld be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, historian=
s, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that =
"Fighting for a Free Missouri" is also readily available in a digital book =
format (Kindle, $52.25) as well.

Editorial Note: Sydney Norton is an independent scholar and the director of=
 German Language Solutions, a company that specializes in language teaching=
, translation, and cultural programming. Her publications include exhibitio=
n catalogs and journal articles on contemporary German art and literature, =
the performing and visual arts of the Weimar Republic, and German immigrant=
s in Missouri.

The Doctor Was a Woman
Chris Enss
TwoDot
c/o Globe Pequot
https://www.globepequot.com
9781493062928, $26.95 Hardcover/$25.50 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Was-Woman-Physicians-Frontier/dp/1493062921

The Doctor Was a Woman: Stories of the First Female Physicians on the Front=
ier is a women's history that profiles ten selected female doctors who made=
 their marks and helped patients in the days of the Wild West. From Wyoming=
 and Nevada to California, these women did more than treat gunshot wounds. =
They fought lung disease, pioneered dental techniques, often became the fir=
st women to practice medicine in their areas, and overcame much male resist=
ance to the notion to achieve their goals.

Chris Enss outlines this history in a reasoned manner, presenting instances=
 where women were as prejudiced about the notion of female physicians as th=
eir male counterparts: "Lillian had difficulties with female patients too. =
One elderly woman in town frequently asked Dr. Heath to make house calls bu=
t had no intention of paying her. The woman was a minister's wife, and Lill=
ian felt her behavior should have been better than the average person's. Sh=
e only responded to the woman's calls for help a handful of times. Eventual=
ly, she refused to continue seeing her because the minister's wife refused =
to compensate her for her services because she was a woman doctor."

Thus, personal biographical sketches weave into community and Western histo=
ry in a manner that represents all the perceptions, reactions, and influenc=
es on female physicians of the times. Enss also includes footnoted referenc=
es to source materials and notes to document this background, including a 1=
921 tuberculosis symptoms public health report and how women such as Dr. So=
fie Herzog (who was employed by the railroad to treat its workers and patro=
ns) made names for themselves against all odds.

The Doctor Was a Woman reads with the drama of fiction and the authority of=
 well-researched nonfiction. Black and white vintage photos pepper the stor=
y, bringing these people and times to life. It is highly recommended for wo=
men's history collections, American history holdings, libraries attractive =
to medical students and researchers, and general-interest audiences alike.

Its powerful stories are sterling examples of early women who succeeded, ye=
t are rarely mentioned in the chronicles of medical or American history. In=
 the aforementioned Sophie Herzog's case: "Although Sofie was employed with=
 the railroad, she continued to maintain her own practice. Not only did she=
 treat those suffering with everything from deep cuts to pneumonia, but she=
 was also intent on finding cures for more serious ailments such as smallpo=
x."

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