McNeil Center for Early American Studies

Common Sense at 250: A Panel Discussion Penn Professors Emma Hart, Sophia Rosenfeld, and Duncan Watts address the power and impact of Thomas Paine's revolutionary pamphlet, 250 years after its publication.

Join Penn Professors Emma Hart, Sophia Rosenfeld, and Duncan Watts this Thursday at 5:30pm (online or at Van Pelt Library) as they address the power and impact of Thomas Paine's revolutionary pamphlet, 250 years after its publication. More info & registration: www.library.upenn.edu/events/commo...

If you are in the Delaware Valley area, an interview with MCEAS Director Emma Hart will air today on WHYY (91 FM) at noon!

The Daniel K. Richter Summer Writing Retreat will convene for the first time in June '26 at the McNeil Center. Each participant will be awarded $4,000, office space, and access to Penn's digital library holdings for one year. Applications open until Jan 15–apply here: www.mceas.org/awards/danie....

Join us at the Library of Congress on November 21st for a symposium reconsidering J. Franklin Jameson's "The American Revolution Considered as a Social Movement" (1926). Registration and more details here: www.eventbrite.com/e/1797806179...

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, this year's Distinguished Benjamin Franklin Lecturer, will deliver her first lecture, "On Seeing and Un-Seeing Slavery, or Learning to Reckon with the Black Spots in Early Modern Art," on Oct. 20 at Penn Carey Law. Register to attend here: www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-benja...

Check out our newest episode of Early American Conversations, featuring Katharine Gerbner, now on Spotify!
open.spotify.com/episode/7GoW...

This week Emma Hart, Director of the McNeil Center, participated in Penn's "60-Second Lectures" series for Constitution Day, and concisely presented the history of compromises in the drafting of the US Constitution.

Recently, Negin Farsad interviewed Emma Hart, Director of the McNeil Center, on the history of America's "Road to Democracy," for Visit Philly and TED Democracy. Full video here: www.ted.com/talks/visit_...

Tracy Barnett has joined @easmisc.bsky.social as our new Digital & Social Media Editor. Learn more about Tracy's scholarship and her approach to academic communications here: web.sas.upenn.edu/earlyamerica...

Check out our newest episode of Early American Conversations, featuring Michelle Craig McDonald, now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/3BA0...

Next Wednesday, the Center's 2025 C. Dallett Hemphill intern Cristina Freire (Montclair State University) will present her research on the Chinese desk of Historic Wyck. Register here:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...

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

New episode of Early American Conversations! A conversation between Ellen Hartigan-O'Connor, author of America Under the Hammer, and Melena Laudig, our 2024-2025 Richard S. Dunn Fellow: open.spotify.com/episode/34zL...

Two more weeks to apply!

While it's not reflected on our site yet (will be soon) the CFP for "Taking Stock and Setting Agendas" with the @easmisc.bsky.social & @mcneilcenter.bsky.social is extended until June 1st! So some extra time to send in your proposals, and check out the details here: theitps.org/event/taking...

Thanks to all who joined us this weekend for "Where is EARLY America?" This was our largest event since the opening of the Center's facility in 2005, and we're grateful to the 120+ scholars who joined us to discuss America's earliest eras.

Congratulations to 2024 Murrin Prize winner Douglas Winiarski! His award-winning Spring 2024 EAS article, “Revisioning the Shawnee Prophet” is available on @projectmuse.bsky.social: muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... @pennpress.bsky.social @mcneilcenter.bsky.social @easmisc.bsky.social

It's been a huge year of prizes for books in the Early American Studies series, published by the Center and @pennpress.bsky.social. Congratulations to all our deserving authors!

Join the #ITPS, along with @easmisc.bsky.social & @mcneilcenter.bsky.social virtually or in-person for a workshop this September, "Taking Stock and Setting Agendas: A Workshop on Data, Digital Humanities, and Early American Studies": mailchi.mp/sas.upenn.ed...

Thanks for this Liz 🖤

#EAS remembers the life of Stevie Wolf and her contributions to early American studies in our roundtable - A Tribute to Stephanie Grauman Wolf, 1931‒2024 - on @easmisc.bsky.social @pennpress.bsky.social @mcneilcenter.bsky.social #MCEAS

#EAS honors the life and contributions of Stevie Wolf in our newest roundtable - A Tribute to Stephanie Grauman Wolf, 1931‒2024 - on @easmisc.bsky.social. Read the introduction here: web.sas.upenn.edu/earlyamerica... @pennpress.bsky.social @mcneilcenter.bsky.social #MCEAS

The McNeil Center and Penn Press are pleased to announce that BJ Lillis has been awarded our inaugural MCEAS Dissertation Prize. Learn more about BJ's work and the prize here: www.mceas.org/news/2025/03....

Big news! Issues of Early American Studies (@easmisc.bsky.social) are now publishing #OpenAccess on ProjectMuse. Our latest winter 2025 issue can be freely viewed here: muse.jhu.edu/issue/54263.

The #Winter2025 #EAS issue - A New Kind of #AmericanRevolution - is now openly accessible on @ProjectMUSE’s Subscribe to Open Program for more #OpenAccess! muse.jhu.edu/issue/54263 @mcneilcenter

#EAS is happy to announce the publication of our special #Winter2025 issue featuring the #AmericanRevolution as we approach its 250th anniversary. Find it on @projectmuse.bsky.social at this link: muse.jhu.edu/issue/54263 @pennpress.bsky.social @mcneilcenter.bsky.social #MCEAS

A man’s foot wearing a blue sock with the Pig of Knowledge, the unofficial mascot of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.

Conference socks for today are thanks to @mcneilcenter.bsky.social. #VastEarlyAmerica

Applications are open until 2/15 for our October conference on the history of the US Navy & Marine Corps! www.mceas.org/navigating-p...

We're looking for historic sites in the Philly region interested in employing undergraduate interns to carry out public-facing history initiatives this summer––and we'll provide $3,000 toward each intern's stipend. Learn more and submit site partner applications here:
www.mceas.org/index.php/co...

Travel awards to attend the lectures will be available for students at our Consortium institutions. Learn more and apply here:
www.mceas.org/consortium/c...