Temperance Melodrama on the Nineteenth-Century Stage
Produced by the master entertainer P. T. Barnum, a melodrama about the dangers of alcohol was the first show to run for a hundred performances in New York City.
So You Plan to Teach Moby Dick
The study of Melville’s novel is enhanced by contextualizing it with primary and secondary sources related to the American sperm whaling industry.
The Hunt for the Massachusetts “Wild Man”
In a tale with as many false identities as supposed crimes, investigative reporter Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky gets her man (maybe).
Comparing Editions of David Walker’s Abolitionist Appeal
Digitization allows researchers to trace editorial and authorial changes in archival content. Both are central to the study of this famous abolitionist pamphlet.
The Dorr Rebellion for Voting Rights
In 1842, an attempt to enfranchise all men in Rhode Island resulted in two governors, two constitutions and what we now know as the Dorr Rebellion.
When Harvard Students Couldn’t Get Warm
The early heating systems of New England kept Harvard students cold until the early twentieth century.
Sophia Thoreau to the Rescue!
Who made sure Henry David Thoreau's works came out after his death? His sister.
This Forgotten Female Orator Broke Boundaries for Women
At a time when respectable women rarely spoke to the public, Anne Laura Clarke was a star lecturer.
The “Tragic Mulatta” of Bridgerton
While colorblind casting increases opportunities for diverse casts, colorblindness after casting can result in the perpetuation of stereotypes.
The Anxious “China Hunters” of the Nineteenth Century
After the Civil War, some elite women became obsessed with collecting antique china, the better to connect themselves to illustrious histories.