Daughters of the Declaration How Women Social Entrepreneurs Built the American Dream

America's founding fathers established an idealistic framework for a bold experiment in democratic governance. The new nation would be built on the belief that "all men are created equal, and are endowed...with a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The challenge of turning these ideals into reality for all citizens was taken up by a set of exceptional American women. Distinguished scholar and civic leader Claire Gaudiani calls these women "social entrepreneurs," arguing that they brought the same drive and strategic intent to their pursuit of "the greater good" that their male counterparts applied to building the nation's capital markets throughout the nineteenth century. Gaudiani tells the stories of these patriotic women, and their creation of America's unique not-for-profit, or "social profit" sector. She concludes that the idealism and optimism inherent in this work provided an important asset to the increasing prosperity of the nation from its founding to the Second World War. Social entrepreneurs have defined a system of governance "by the people," and they remain our best hope for continued moral leadership in the world.

Claire Gaudiani is an expert on the history and economics of American philanthropy. From 2004-2009, she served as clinical professor at the Heyman Center for Philanthropy at New York University, where she directed the graduate program in philanthropic studies. From 2001-2004 at the Yale Law School, she wrote The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism. Gaudiani served for thirteen years as president of Connecticut College, where she was also professor of French. She is married to David Burnett, PhD, her partner in Gaudiani Associates.