Death and Gender Roles in Reconstruction Atlanta

Abstract

This thesis is about the changing gender roles for women after the Civil War. The subjects of this thesis focuses on a small group of wealthy white women whose wills were filled in the Fulton County Courthouse in the city of Atlanta between 1880–1920.

By focusing on the wills of a few select women during this time, this thesis is able to more closely examine the changes in these gender roles as well as their effects on the lives of a handful of women.