When eighteenth-century American men described "with a swelling of the heart" their friendships with other men, addressing them as "lovely boy" and "dearly beloved," celebrating the "ardent affection" that knit their hearts in "indissoluble bonds of fraternal love," their families, neighbors, and acquaintances would have been neither surprised nor disturbed. Richard Godbeer's groundbreaking new book examines loving and sentimental friendships among men in the colonial and revolutionary periods. Inspired in part by the eighteenth-century culture of sensibility and in part by religious models, these relationships were not only important to the personal happiness of those involved but also had broader social, religious, and political significance. Godbeer shows that in the aftermath of Independence, patriots drafted a central place for male friendship in their social and political blueprint for the new republic. American revolutionaries stressed the importance of the family in the era of self-government, reimagining it in ways appropriate to a new and democratized era. They thus shifted attention away from patriarchal authority to a more egalitarian model of brotherly collaboration. In striving to explore the inner emotional lives of early Americans, Godbeer succeeds in presenting an entirely fresh perspective on the personal relationships and political structures of the period. Scholars have long recognized the importance of same-sex friendships among women, but this is the first book to examine the broad significance ascribed to loving friendships among men during this formative period of American history. Using an array of personal and public writings, The Overflowing of Friendship will transform our understanding of early American manhood as well as challenge us to reconsider the ways we think about gender in this period.

In his latest work, Richard Godbeer uncovers a world of feeling hitherto ignored and misunderstood-that of passionate male friendships in the eighteenth century. Deeply and meticulously researched, powerfully and vividly written, The Overflowing of Friendship reveals a compelling picture of human connection in the past and opens a new world of love and possibility for the future. -- Catherine Allgor, University of California, Riverside Just when it seems that new insight about the founding generation would be impossible, Richard Godbeer gives us a wholly new way of understanding that familiar group. In this brilliant and engaging blend of cultural, political, and gender history, Godbeer reveals deep forces at work behind politics in the early republic and at the same time writes a moving elegy to a lost form of male relationship. -- E. Anthony Rotundo, author of American Manhood

About the Author
Richard Godbeer is a professor of history at the University of Miami. His books include Sexual Revolution in Early America, also published by Johns Hopkins, Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692, and The Devil's Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England.

Reviews
The Overflowing of Friendship is a sophisticated analysis of sources that have long confused historians. Offering a thoughtful window onto the world of early American men, it demonstrates that sympathy and affection were important qualities for the founding fathers. -- John Gilbert McCurdy New England Quarterly 2009 Path-breaking... Godbeer has staked out bold ground with this book. Some early Americanists will surely scoff at the notion that sentimentality was relevant even in the macho arena of state formation, just as historians of sexuality will freeze at the inference that there is no sexual attraction or intimacy between these men. That one book could successfully intervene with both the oldest historiographical and the newest theoretical question is no small feat, but rather one for which Godbeer deserves the appreciation and admiration of his fellow historians. Journal of the Early Republic 2010 His beautifully crafted book breaks important new ground. -- Anne S. Lombard American Historical Review 2010 This is a splendid study that should be useful to students at every level and to scholars in the field... A thoughtful and careful study. -- George E. Haggerty Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2010



Book Information
ISBN 9780801891205
Author Richard Godbeer
Format Hardback
Page Count 272
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 522g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm