Describes various aspects of the lives of women and girls during the nineteenth century, including their lack of educational opportunities, restrictive clothing, pastimes, courtship and marriage, and limited employment prospects.

Introduces the year 1908 as a pivotal turning point in American history marked by such events as the first flight and Peary's quest to the North Pole, in an account that explains how each spectacle contributed to the nation's growing dominance as a worldpower.