In a study encompassing American history from the colonial period to the 1870s, the author examines the protean identity of white working-class women, their often courageous struggles for recognition and survival, and their interactions with other elements of American society.

"Vividly written, informative, and based on an impressive array of primary and secondary sources, If All We Did Was to Weep at Home . . . offers a synthesis that women's historians and labor historians will find useful." —Library Journal