Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3357-8589
Date Available
5-6-2025
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
History
Faculty
Tracy Campbell, PhD
Faculty
Hilary Jones, PhD
Abstract
At the turn of the twentieth century, rapid industrialization and urban expansion transformed American cities, creating urgent challenges in governance, public health, and environmental management. In response, women across the United States extended their domestic expertise into the public sphere, spearheading initiatives to improve sanitation, waste disposal, and urban infrastructure. This dissertation examines the Louisville Women’s City Club (LWCC) as a case study of municipal housekeeping, demonstrating how middle-class women used their traditional roles to influence systemic reform in Louisville, Kentucky. By bridging gender history, urban environmentalism, and Progressive Era activism, this study reveals how the LWCC shaped public policy and contributed to early environmental justice movements.
It argues that municipal housekeeping was not merely a Progressive Era strategy, but a foundational force that reshaped urban governance, expanded women's civic participation and laid important groundwork for later environmental reform. The LWCC, founded in 1917, exemplified this activism through grassroots organizing, public education, and strategic partnerships with municipal officials. Its members campaigned for improved waste management, cleaner streets, safer food handling, and city beautification, redefining civic responsibility and making a lasting impact on Louisville’s urban development.
Using an intersectional lens, this study explores how gender, class, and race informed women’s activism in a city situated at the cultural crossroads of the South and Midwest. Louisville’s distinct political and geographic context presented both opportunities and constraints for reformers. While the LWCC advanced progressive goals, its efforts also reflected and sometimes reinforced prevailing class hierarchies and racial exclusions. This complexity raises critical questions about the inclusivity of early environmental reform and highlights the tensions within women's civic leadership in segregated urban spaces.
By tracing the LWCC’s evolution from a civic club to a major force in municipal reform, this dissertation contributes to the broader fields of women’s history, urban history, environmental history, and public health. It challenges narratives that limit women’s activism to suffrage or domestic concerns, instead positioning them as key architects of urban change and environmental policy. Through their efforts, LWCC members reimagined citizenship, influenced public systems, and helped lay the foundation for modern environmental justice movements. Ultimately, the study underscores the enduring significance of municipal housekeeping in shaping American cities and expanding women’s roles in public life.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.68
Recommended Citation
Malventano, Amy J., "SHAPING A CITY: MUNICIPAL HOUSEKEEPING, CIVIC ACTIVISM, AND URBAN ENVIRONMENTALISM IN PROGRESSIVE ERA LOUISVILLE THROUGH THE WOMEN’S CITY CLUB" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--History. 88.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/88
