Gender relationships and sexual behavior were well prescribed throughout much of the nineteenth century. White men controlled the economic, legal, and political structure of the nation. Women could not vote; their educational opportunities were limited; and few women held jobs outside the home. Married women by law, tradition, and faith were considered inferior to their husbands and could not lay claim to their property, wages, or children (in rare cases of divorce). Women were supposed to uphold the moral values of the nation and to behave in a virtuous, pious manner. Their primary role was to care for their families and homes rather than to engage in the rough and tumble of public life. The double sexual standard prevailed, giving men but not women the ability to transgress...