A story of familial and national discord, conciliation, and redemption, The Linwoods is perhaps the major work of one of the leading writers of early American literature. Set during the American Revolution, Catharine Sedgwick's last historical romance addresses issues of virtuous citizenship, civic identity, and the political development of the nation. The primary narrative thread tells the story of two families: the Linwoods, who are loyalists, and the Lees, who are revolutionaries. Much of the novel narrates the transformation of the Linwood children, especially the heroine, Isabella, from Tory to Rebel. In the process, Isabella not only rebels against British control of the colonies, but challenges the institution of slavery, gender norms, and patriarchal authority. Disguise, intrigues of Rebel and Tory spies, cross-racial and cross-gender passing, as well as cases of mistaken identity not only make for a compelling read, but also foster an anti-aristocratic skepticism of surface appearances and external markers of virtue and identity that resonated with the rhetoric of Jacksonian democracy.... Catharine Maria Sedgwick (December 28, 1789 - July 31, 1867), was an American novelist of what is sometimes referred to as "domestic fiction". She promoted Republican motherhood. Early life: Catharine Maria Sedgwick was born December 28, 1789 in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Her mother was Pamela Dwight (1752-1807) of the New England Dwight family, daughter of General Joseph Dwight (1703-1765) and granddaughter of Ephraim Williams, founder of Williams College. Her father was Theodore Sedgwick (1746-1813), a prosperous lawyer and successful politician. He was later elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and in 1802 was appointed a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. As a child, Sedgwick was cared for by Elizabeth Freeman, a former slave whose freedom Theodore Sedgwick helped gain by arguing her case in county court in 1781. After winning her freedom Freeman declined her previous owner's job offer, and instead accepted a job working for the Sedgwick family. As a young woman, Sedgwick attended a finishing school in Boston to complete her education. One of her schoolmates, Susan Anne Ridley Sedgwick (1788-1867), would become her sister-in-law and a published author. Sedgwick was engaged at one point to Harmanus Bleecker, a friend of her father and law partner of her brother Theodore (1780-1839). They did not marry, and Sedgwick turned down several other marriage proposals, instead choosing to remain single and focus on her career. Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 - 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at Alresford in Hampshire. She is best known for Our Village, a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly drawn characters based upon life in Three Mile Cross, a hamlet in the parish of Shinfield, near Reading in Berkshire, where she lived.