Early American Studies

Exterior view of a large eighteenth century red brick academic building with white trim, multiple chimneys, and dormer windows along a slate roof.

Would you like to review an exhibit for our ongoing series? If you've recently visited or plan to visit a museum or historic site on early American history, consider writing an exhibit review for #EASMicellany! See submission guidelines & some location suggestions here: https://bit.ly/4quPoZi

Blue silhouette profile of a person facing left, cut from paper and mounted on a cream colored background with a blue border. The image is part of a larger sheet of silhouettes, with handwritten markings visible above the profile.

Alexandra Macdonald’s exhibit review highlights the complexities of curating early American prints and illustrations, offering insight into how art collections can shape and sometimes complicate historical narratives. Read it here: https://bit.ly/4r8zyof
#EAS #America250
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social

Angled exterior view of a large red brick eighteenth century meeting house with cream colored shutters and trim.

Discover the Arch Street Meeting House through a virtual video tour, reviewed here by Molly Nebiolo, offering fresh ways to engage with this landmark’s history and enduring presence.
Review: https://bit.ly/3ZbacK6
#EAS #America250
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social

Museum gallery wall displaying a collection of historic Mexican flags and banners arranged in rows. One flag stands upright in a glass case at the center, while others hang flat against the wall under soft gallery lighting.

As a supplement to his #Fall2025 #EAS article, Andrew Konove examines a forgotten counterfeiting scandal in Veracruz that sparked diplomatic tensions & raised questions about Mexican sovereignty. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3NAlUvc
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social Penn Press

Illustration titled “Teaching Early American Studies with AI” showing a Black woman seated at a desk reading and writing, facing a friendly robot labeled “AI.” An open book and a glowing lightbulb appear between them, with an American flag in the background, symbolizing the intersection of historical study, learning, and artificial intelligence.

Check out our webpage for the full submission guidelines: web.sas.upenn.edu/ea...

Thinking ahead to next semester? Are you teaching planning an innovative activity, devising an experiential assessment, or otherwise trying to “AI-proof” your assignments? Consider submitting a reflective blog post or lesson plan for our new digital series on “Teaching in the Age of AI.”

#EarlyAmericanStudies #PublicHistory #MuseumStudies #EASMiscellany

Black and white image depicting the opening day ceremonies at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876.

Did you visit a new museum or exhibit connected to early American history over winter break? Turn your experience into scholarship by submitting an exhibit review to EAS Miscellany. Explore our list of suggested exhibits and find full submission guidelines here: tinyurl.com/5n76u2jv

Illustration for EAS Miscellany showing a red, woodcut-style pig standing on a parchment-like background, holding a paper in its mouth. It features the text “EAS miscellany” to the left, evoking an early American print aesthetic.

Looking for new teaching ideas in 2026? Explore our Teaching EAS section, where educators share assignments, strategies, and reflections on the craft of teaching early America. Browse here: http://bit.ly/44G763
#EAS #EarlyAmericaMisc

George Catlin's "'Smoking Horses,' or a Curious Custom of the Sauk and Fox" depicted the two allied nations conducting a ritual to redistribute horses in 1835 Iowa.

Don’t forget to check out EAS Miscellany’s interview with John Ryan Fischer about his #Fall2025 article on Sauk & Meskwaki survival strategies after the Fox Wars. Dive into the conversation here: https://bit.ly/3Y5zetr
#EAS #EarlyAmericanMisc

Illustration titled “Teaching Early American Studies with AI” showing a Black woman seated at a desk reading and writing, facing a friendly robot labeled “AI.” An open book and a glowing lightbulb appear between them, with an American flag in the background, symbolizing the intersection of historical study, learning, and artificial intelligence.

Check out our webpage for the full submission guidelines: web.sas.upenn.edu/ea...

Thinking ahead to next semester? Are you teaching planning an innovative activity, devising an experiential assessment, or otherwise trying to “AI-proof” your assignments? Consider submitting a reflective blog post or lesson plan for our new digital series on “Teaching in the Age of AI.”

#EarlyAmericanStudies #PublicHistory #MuseumStudies #EASMiscellany

Black and white image depicting the opening day ceremonies at the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876.

Traveling over winter break? ✈️ 🏛️ Visiting a museum or exhibit connected to early American history? Turn your experience into scholarship by submitting an exhibit review to EAS Miscellany. Explore our list of suggested exhibits and find full submission guidelines here: tinyurl.com/5n76u2jv

Happy New Year! Kick off 2026 with a journey into America’s past by diving into EAS Miscellany. Find new author interviews, teaching ideas, special features, contemporary connections, and more at web.sas.upenn.edu/ea....

Historical painting showing a chaotic battle scene. British soldiers in red uniforms clash with opposing forces amid smoke, raised weapons, and falling figures. Flags billow overhead as officers and soldiers struggle in close combat, conveying movement and violence at the center of the scene.

Kacy Dowd Tillman explores how archival petitions by Black loyalists during the Revolution challenge objectification & assert authorship. Her article reinterprets bureaucratic records as a form of early life writing.
Now open access: doi.org/10.1353/eam....
@projectmuse.bsky.social
#EAS

AI-generated illustration of an eighteenth-century African American woman seated at a table and looking thoughtfully at an open book. A stylized robot labeled AI sits opposite her. A glowing light bulb floats between them. A Betsy Ross-style American flag appears in the background. Large text at the top reads Teaching Early American Studies with AI.

Teaching in the Age of AI: EAS Miscellany invites blog submissions on how generative tools like ChatGPT are shaping pedagogy. Share how you design assignments, assess work, or reimagine learning in this new landscape. Details here: bit.ly/485mfyh
#EAS #EASMisc #Teaching #CallForPapers

The discovery of counterfeit coins in Veracruz ignited tensions between Mexico and the United States. This article, by Andrew Konove, examines how currency became a focal point for diplomacy, nationalism, and sovereignty in the nineteenth century. doi.org/10.1353/eam....
@pennpress.bsky.social

EAS Miscellany interviews John Ryan Fischer about his #Fall2025 article on Sauk & Meskwaki survival strategies after the Fox Wars. Dive into the conversation here: https://bit.ly/3Y5zetr
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social @pennpress.bsky.social
#EAS #EarlyAmericanMisc

According to John Ryan Fischer, Sauk and Meskwaki turned survival into strategy. Along the Mississippi, they blended adaptation and resistance, using trade, land, & selective adoption of colonial goods to sustain sovereignty after the Fox Wars. Link: doi.org/10.1353/eam....
@projectmuse.bsky.social

Freedom was not the only motivation for free Black soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina. In this study, Andrea N. Miles reveals how class, taxation, and local politics shaped their decisions to enlist and fight for the Patriot cause.
doi.org/10.1353/eam....
@projectmuse.bsky.social

In early New England homes, indenture contracts shaped everyday power. In "Fraught Forms," Caylin Carbonell explores how servants and masters alike learned to wield these documents to negotiate labor, obligation, and authority in both formal and personal ways.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/...
#EAS #EASMisc

The #Summer2025 #EAS issue is now openly accessible on
@projectmuse.bsky.social!
Link: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social @pennpress.bsky.social

Read our #Fall2025 #EAS journal issue on
@projectmuse.bsky.social
Link: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...
@mcneilcenter.bsky.social
@pennpress.bsky.social

Katherine Grandjean examines how tensions in the southern backcountry endured long after the Revolution. Through stories, letters, & local memory, she reveals how loyalist stigma & wartime violence continued to shape everyday life.
Now open access: muse.jhu.edu/article...
@projectmuse.bsky.social

Anthony Dean Rizzuto reexamines Thomas Paine’s legacy as an antislavery advocate, arguing that his writings reveal a consistent pattern of racial exclusion. Paine helped define the new Republic as a white settler project.
Now open access: muse.jhu.edu/article...
@projectmuse.bsky.social

T. Cole Jones uncovers the coercive labor system Connecticut developed for British prisoners after the 1775 capture of Ticonderoga, revealing how revolutionary ideals clashed with the pragmatic exploitation of prisoner labor.
Now open access: muse.jhu.edu/article...
#EAS
@projectmuse.bsky.social

Richard S. Newman explores how early Black writers used print to challenge racial oppression. He demonstrates how their poetry, petitions, & pamphlets forged a foundation for abolitionist thought & redefined authorship in the 18th century.
Now open access until 12/31/25: muse.jhu.edu/article...

Teaching in the Age of AI: EAS Miscellany invites blog submissions on how generative tools like ChatGPT are shaping pedagogy. Share how you design assignments, assess work, or reimagine learning in this new landscape. Details here: https://bit.ly/485mfyh

Blake McGready examines how accusations of ravaging in the Revolutionary Hudson Valley reflected environmental destruction, disrupted gender roles, & helped define Patriot identity through the language of violation & protection.
Now open access: muse.jhu.edu/article...
@projectmuse.bsky.social