Among the topics covered are the history and prevalence of domestic violence in the United States, debates pertaining to clinical and legal definitions and applications of the battered woman syndrome, political trials of women who have defended their lives, the emergence of the shelter and clemency movements, changes in strategies and tactics of these movements, and experiences of women who have been granted clemency. Although the focus of the historical review is national in scope, the author discusses the case of Ohio where the first mass clemencies were granted to women incarcerated for killing abusive spouses. Drawing on key concepts in resource mobilization, new social movements, and feminist theory, the author's work advances the understanding of the dynamics of social movements, especially the relationship between identity politics, movement organization, and institutional responses to grass roots movements and their claims. References and notes