U.S. Empire and Sexual Morality

Commercial sex and imperialism — army bases and brothels — have often gone hand in hand. But in the early 20th century an emergent U.S. empire defined itself as rooted in sexual purity. Historian Eva Payne describes how a heavy price for this notion of American exceptionalism was paid by women in the United States, who were policed and punished, along with those in U.S. colonies like the Philippines and the Panama Canal Zone.

Resources:

Eva Payne, Empire of Purity: The History of Americans’ Global War on Prostitution Princeton University Press, 2025

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