Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Bourgeois Nightmares: Suburbia, 1870-1930

Bourgeois Nightmares: Suburbia, 1870-1930

Fogelson, Robert M.

Paperback

19th Century United States History20th Century United States HistoryGeneral World History

ISBN10: 0300124171
ISBN13: 9780300124170
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: Sep 28 2007
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.64
Height: 0.59 Width: 5.43 Depth: 8.09
Language: English

An eminent urban historian uncovers the long-neglected history of the restrictive covenants that played a pivotal role in shaping America's suburbs

The quintessential American suburbs, with their gracious single-family homes, large green lawns, and leaf-shaded streets, reflected not only residents' dreams but nightmares, not only hopes but fears: fear of others, of racial minorities and lowincome groups, fear of themselves, fear of the market, and, above all, fear of change. These fears, and the restrictive covenants that embodied them, are the subject of Robert M. Fogelson's fascinating new book. As Fogelson reveals, suburban subdividers attempted to cope with the deep-seated fears of unwanted change, especially the encroachment of undesirable people and activities, by imposing a wide range of restrictions on the lots. These restrictions ranged from mandating minimum costs and architectural styles for the houses to forbidding the owners to sell or lease their property to any member of a host of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. These restrictions, many of which are still commonly employed, tell us as much about the complexities of American society today as about its complexities a century ago.

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