General Casimir Pulaski: A Polish Hero of the American Revolution
Every year, the United States recognizes General Casimir Pulaski—Polish-born hero of the American Revolution—on October 11, commemorating his death from wounds received at the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Known … Continue reading
The Origins of “Jingle Bells”: From Thanksgiving Tune to Christmas Classic
When we hear “Jingle Bells,” our minds immediately jump to Christmas—the twinkling lights, the festive cheer, and the familiar jingling sound that fills the air. It’s a song that has … Continue reading
Gratitude, Resilience, and the Strength of Community in The Peasant Trilogy
As we gather this Thanksgiving weekend to reflect on gratitude, resilience, and the bonds that sustain us, it’s a meaningful time to explore literature that celebrates these themes. In the … Continue reading
Polish Immigration in Early Eighteenth-century British Colonial America
The early eighteenth century marked a significant period of immigration to British Colonial America, with various European groups seeking new opportunities and religious freedom. Among these immigrants were a small … Continue reading
Alexander Karol Curtius: First Teacher in New Amsterdam
In a recent post, I shared a biographical sketch of Polish settler Daniel Litscho and his life in New Amsterdam. In reading for that work, I happened to stumble on … Continue reading
Celebrating 235 Years of James Fenimore Cooper: The Father of American Romanticism
Today marks the 235th anniversary of the birth of James Fenimore Cooper, one of the earliest and most influential voices in American literature. Born on September 15, 1824, Cooper is … Continue reading
Daniel Litscho: The Story of a Polish Settler in New Amsterdam
The early history of New York, originally New Amsterdam, is often associated with Dutch settlers, as it was established as a Dutch colony in the early seventeenth century. However, the … Continue reading
Exploring the Untold Stories: The History of Polish Americans in Early America
The history of America is a tapestry woven from the diverse cultures, traditions, and experiences of countless immigrants who sought new opportunities in the New World. Among these immigrants were … Continue reading
Dodge’s Literary Museum
Welcome back to Book by Book! In Series Two, we dive into my teaching collection—a curated glimpse into my personal library of historical treasures. Discover rare books, vintage newspapers, and … Continue reading
“Little Pieces for Little Speakers”: A Schoolbook for Recitation
Here is the next installment in my Book by Book: The Teaching Collection Series. This week’s installment looks at Little Pieces for Little Speakers: A Collection of Poetry Designed to … Continue reading
America’s First Polish Immigrants: Another Look at Jamestown
Continuing this thread on Jamestown, at the end of class I offered an example of brainstorming research topics. The example I used built from our reading of John Smith’s General … Continue reading
The “Other” Residents of Jamestown
In the last post, I noted two trends in my American History survey classes: (1) Students arrive to the class unaware of what was once popular narratives in the story … Continue reading
Teaching Jamestown, Virginia … Again and Again
One of the ongoing challenges in teaching a survey class in American history is making decisions on what to cover in the limited amount of time 14 weeks and 3 … Continue reading
Required Readings Visualized: Early American Word Clouds
In the previous post, I shared a list of free, online word cloud generators. In this post, I offer a couple of examples of word clouds put to use! This … Continue reading
James Rivington, American Printer
James Rivington (1724-1802) was an English-born printer/publisher and journalist in New York City during the American Revolution. Prior to the revolution, he was one of the most popular and widely … Continue reading
Accidental Diarist: A Review
The Accidental Diarist: A History of the Daily Planner in America By Molly A. McCarthy. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. 302 pp., HC $90 Pb $30) http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo15357320.html … Continue reading
Writing with Scissors: A Review
Writing with Scissors: American Scrapbooks from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance By Ellen Gruber Garvey. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. 320 pp. 62 ill. HC $115, Pb … Continue reading
A Tribute to the John Trumbulls
This semester, I again find myself teaching two surveys on early America (situated in both English and History Departments). Each semester, I try to mix up the program and reading … Continue reading
Francis Hopkinson’s Ode to the Fourth of July 1788
This summer, I was awarded a fellowship and small stipend to continue my work on American printing history. The goal was two engage in a reenactment or historical performance / … Continue reading
Fort Garrison, Maryland
From time to time, I’ve written about local (often hidden) historical gems around Maryland. For this post, I wanted to add to this growing list with a building just a … Continue reading
Quotes from John Adams
This week in my early America class, we reviewed the presidency of John Adams. As fate would have it, our session happened to land on Adams’ birthday. Part of this … Continue reading
Pursuit of the Pawpaw: A Sneak Preview
What’s that? A fruit that tastes like a mix between a banana and a mango and that is indigenous to North America? Curious? If you’ve never heard of the pawpaw, … Continue reading
Coming Soon . . . Fall Course on the History of Paper
We’re just a week away from the fall semester! I was a little disappointed last year after my pitch for a “History of the Book” special topics class was deemed … Continue reading
Student Projects from Spring ’17, Part 3
Finally, I’ve come to the last part of this series on student projects…in retrospect, I now wish I’ve created a separate website to host or curate all of these projects. … Continue reading
Student Projects from Spring ’17, Part 2
This is Part 2 of the series on student projects from this past semester. The last post featured videos of place-based historical studies. This post shares some images from a … Continue reading
Summer Work 2017 — The Road Ahead
Well, another semester has finally come to an end, which typically means a new transition–a new type of busy season–is about to begin. I can’t believe I haven’t formally posted … Continue reading
Digital Exhibition: Mill Girls
During the Fall 2015 semester, I helped Dr. Lindsay DiCuirci teach a graduate seminar entitled “Women and American Periodicals” at UMBC. The course highlighted some of the United States’ most … Continue reading
Multi-modal Pedagogy & Word Cloud Silhouettes
For the past four years, I have tried to incorporate a digital or multi-modal project in every course I teach. Since not all students are English or History majors, my … Continue reading
The Redesigned 10: The Future of Our Money
Yesterday, an L.A. bookstore started a campaign to make literary icon Joan Didion the female face of the ten dollar bill (#JoanOnTheTen). Didion is arguably more popular than ever. Last … Continue reading
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