Anne Firor Scott's The Southern Lady: From Pedestal to Politics 1830-1930 takes a social yet intellectual approach to the cultural image of the ideal southern woman. Scott analyzes the effect of this predominate image on women's behavior. Southern women are given a voice through Scott's writings. They clearly and vividly speak out about their feelings. These female southern heroes vividly and profoundly proclaim self-determination inspite of having to sometimes conform to social and cultural expectations. Scott relied upon diaries and letters, which had been preserved in manuscript collections across the Uni