Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880-1917

Throughout Manliness and Civilization, the central division that exists is between white Anglo-Saxon upper- and middle-class American men and everyone else who did not fit within the specific parameters of that definition. Manhood, as it is described and explored by Bederman, is only truly applicable to this elite but relatively large section of the population from 1880-1917. These men were experiencing social and economic shifts, which they interpreted as potential threats to their prowess and influence, yet they wielded, and continued to wield, more power than any other group in the nation. The Anglo-Saxon distinction excluded European men who did not hail from regions considered eugenically desirable, including many immigrants, and those who were not aligned with the Protestant denomination of Christian belief. It also excluded men diagnosed with mental illness, physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, and who embraced lifestyle choices outside of the parameters of socially acceptable practice. Working class men were considered impervious to neurasthenia because they were thought to be made of separate stock, their genetic makeup designed to withstand the rigors of grueling physical labor. Therefore, they were not eligible for the distinction of “civilized,” as this class distinction carried with it the burden of potential burnout affiliated with the stress and rigors of pursuing a white collar profession.