Beechers, Stowes and Yankee Strangers

John T. Foster, Jr., professor emeritus of anthropology at Florida A&M University, has published widely in the social sciences and history. Sarah Whitmer Foster (1945-2015) was professor of sociology and anthropology at Florida A&M University and published in the areas of comparative studies, the social sciences, and history.

"A compelling account of Florida during the Reconstruction era, when Yankee reformers attempted to remake the state to their liking."--Tampa Tribune "In this nicely layered narrative, the Fosters heap detailed example upon detailed example to allow readers to discover, along with them, Florida's fascinating formative years."--Foreword Reviews "A valuable book. . . . Will provide a springboard for much research into politics, gender, and religion in Florida in the tumultuous postbellum period."--H-Net "Biographical detail fleshes out the narrative of progressive activism. By locating actors in a generational web, the Fosters enhance our understanding of bourgeois networks in the mid-nineteenth century. . . . Both engaging and important."--Journal of American History "Chronicles the efforts of northern reformers such as Harriet Beecher Stowe. . . to reconfigure Florida's social, political, educational, and religious institutions to fit the sensibilities of northern migrants who came to the state during and after Reconstruction."--Journal of Southern History "[The authors] draw deeply from their sources to trace the impact of a select and tightly knit group of Yankees on Florida late-nineteenth century experience. . . . Not just a tale of Florida's early flirtation with modernization, but a look at the forces and ideas that created the south that exists today."--Florida Historical Quarterly