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
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
Franciszek Warnadowicz: Polish Crew Member of Columbus’ Voyage
As we celebrate Polish American Heritage Month this October, I’m excited to continue our journey through the rich and diverse history of Polish Americans. This series aims to highlight the … 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Student Projects from Spring ’17, Part 1
For the next few posts, I wanted to share something a little different: samples of student work produced this past spring. I’ve been teaching American History courses for the past … Continue reading
Some Flag House Photos
Last week, I spoke at the Start-Spangled Flag House in Baltimore. The museum is truly one of the hidden gems of Baltimore. Located at the edge of Little Italy and … Continue reading
The Projector 
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