UC Irvine

This dissertation explores the intersections of criminality, gender, and whiteness in turn-of-the century Colorado through analysis of four criminal cases. The cases in this study, though very different from each other, reveal the ways in which women attempted to navigate their troubled circumstances and sought to improve their lives - despite potential legal consequences. Though some of them are admittedly guilty of the crimes that they committed and others proclaim innocence, their trials reveal how women understood their positionality within the Colorado legal system and, at times, attempted to exploit it. Additionally, these cases demonstrate how political forces - ranging from politicians and journalists to physicians and judges - attempted to capitalize on the trials and appropriate them for their respective political causes. As the feminist staying goes, “The personal is political.” In these trials, the political is deeply personal and has lasting ramifications for women around the state of Colorado, not just the women who were put on trial.