Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America

The 1st full length study of the history of American sexuality, Intimate Matters offers trenchant insights into sexual behavior from colonial times to today. D’Emilio & Freedman give a deeper understanding of how sexuality has dramatically influenced politics & culture throughout history.

“The book John D’Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues struck down a Texas law criminalizing sodomy. The decision was widely hailed as a victory for gay rights—& it derived in part, according to Kennedy’s written comments, from the information he gleaned from D’Emilio’s book, which traces the history of American perspectives on sexual relationships from the nation’s founding thru the present day. The justice mentioned Intimate Matters specifically in the court’s decision.”—Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

“Fascinating…[they] marshall their material to chart a gradual but decisive shift in the way Americans have understood sex & its meaning in their lives.”—Barbara Ehrenreich, NY Times Book Review
“With comprehensiveness & care…D’Emilio & Freedman have surveyed the sexual patterns for an entire nation across four centuries.”—Martin Bauml Duberman, Nation
“Intimate Matters is comprehensive, meticulous & intelligent.”—Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post Book World
“This book is remarkable…bound to become the definitive survey of American sexual history for years to come.”—Roy Porter, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The reproductive matrix, 1600-1800
Divided passions, 1780-1900
Toward a new sexual order, 1880-1930
The rise & fall of sexual liberalism, 1920 to the present
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index