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Comments on an essay by scholar Jonathan M. Wiener on the history of radical historians in the U.S. Corrections on the essay; View on Wiener's characterization in the essay.

Charles Williams has always been one of the more overlooked members of the Inklings, and the continued neglect of his poetry and "supernatural thrillers" suggests that he is not likely to experience a dramatic increase in popularity anytime soon. Similarly, Russell Kirk is an American historian who will always be better known for writing The Conservative Mind in 1953 than for any of the dozens of short stories and novels he wrote, many of which deal with ghostly or supernatural themes. In fact, Kirk acknowledged Williams to be an important influence on his fiction; this influence is perhaps most evident in Kirk's final novel, 1979's Lord of the Hollow Dark. In this "Gothick romance," as Kirk described it, a group of pilgrims gathers at a dilapidated mansion in Scotland, at which various satanic rituals are performed in the week leading up to Ash Wednesday. The novel features ghostly apparitions, psychological and spiritual horror, and a mingling of the supernatural and material, all of which calls to mind Williams' first, unforgettable novel, War in Heaven. The neglect of both authors has led to a lack of interest in the obvious thematic links between these two books, which this paper is intended to address. Aside from these links, I shall also discuss how the authors' respective religious views contribute to their differing approaches to certain subjects, such as time and the nature of Hell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews briefly the development of ethnohistory in the United States and discusses current involvement by American ethnohistorians in analysis and validity of oral tradition and documents in terms of cultural process. It relates theoretical postulates of cultural stress to historical reconstructions and it indicates the present world-wide interests of the American Society for Ethnohistory and its professional journal, Ethnohistory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a dataset that contains information on the sales and valuations of enslaved individuals in New York and New Jersey from 1672 to 1856. The dataset includes 2,362 entries and provides details on the prices and characteristics of 3,378 enslaved persons. It is the first dataset of its kind for the Northern states and offers insights into the history of slavery in the region, including the demand for enslaved labor, the shift from imported to domestic slaves, and the growth of the enslaved population in the Hudson Valley. The dataset is valuable for researchers studying slavery in the North and for comparing it to slavery in the South. It is also useful for historians, genealogists, and local history researchers. The sources for the dataset include archival collections, online search engines, newspapers, dissertations, and secondary source publications. The data was compiled for research purposes and will be used in a forthcoming book. The dataset can be accessed through the Harvard Dataverse and is represented on Enslaved.org. The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. [Extracted from the article]

The article titled "Manumissions of Enslaved Persons Recorded in Registers of Deeds in Montserrat National Trust Archives" explores the historical records of manumissions, or the freeing of enslaved individuals, in Montserrat. The author discusses the significance of the Registers of Deeds, which served as the official record of legal documents related to property, including enslaved people. The article highlights the rarity of manumissions in Montserrat and notes the presence of copies of manumissions executed in Dominica. The dataset, which covers the period from 1722 to 1834, provides valuable insights into this aspect of Montserrat's history. [Extracted from the article]

News briefs related to the history profession, especially Western U.S. history, are presented. A tribute to U.S. historian Edwin R. Bingham (1920-2009) is presented. Calendar events for 2010 are mentioned for the Western Social Science Association, the Berkshire Conference on Women's History, and other organizations. A section of job changes and awards is also presented.

THIS PAPER PRESENTS a reinterpretation of the causes for the US Patriot movement of 1837-38, which rose up in support of the Canadian rebellion in Upper Canada (UC) initiated by William Lyon Mackenzie (the companion rebellion in Lower Canada is not considered in this paper since its causation was arguably considerably different). Most traditional treatments of this event, by US historians in particular, are stuck in narrative mode and lack convincing interpretation and analysis. The US Patriot war is usually quickly dismissed as the work of a few Anglophobes and adventurers seeking land and coin. The hypothesis advanced here suggests that the US Patriot movement and its progenitor rebellion in UC may be seen as an expression of the social class tensions growing out of the transition from a subsistence-barter/household economy and culture to the more impersonal commodity market economy - a transition that was proceeding in an uneven and combined manner on both sides of the nominal Canada/US border. Mackenzie's UC rebellion was both motivated by and encouragement to radical Democratic anti-bank forces in the US. Historians are urged to consider the Patriot movement in the larger context of class conflict and accommodation then being played out on a shared Canadian/American stage [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argues that although American professional historians had been writing modern French history, they have yet to produce a book that equaled those of the best French historians. Advantages of American historians over their French counterparts; Capacity for astonishment of American historians.

Babe Ruth is a mythic figure in American baseball history. His extraordinary skills and legendary exploits are central to the idea of baseball as America's national pastime and are woven into the fabric of American history and iconography. Much has been written about Ruth's life, his extraordinary physical powers, and the legends that grew up around him that made him a mythic figure. The story of Babe Ruth as it has been told, however, has not included its meaning from the perspective of the study of religion and sport. This paper explores the life and legends of Babe Ruth to illustrate the significance of Ruth's identity as a Catholic in early twentieth-century America and the fundamental connections between Ruth's story and the Christian myth and ritual that is foundational to American civil religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News briefs related to the study of Pacific history are presented. A tribute to U.S. historian Sharon L. Sievers (1938-2010) is presented. Activities of history associations such as the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association, the Western Association of Women Historians, and others are discussed.

Abstract: By contrast with the U.S., where oral history is valued by corporate bodies and where oral historians actively engage with business history, British oral historians continue to regard elite oral history with deep suspicion. And for their part, U.K. business historians and archivists remain skeptical about the value of oral testimony. Few British oral historians venture beyond a well-worn focus on working-class experience, the marginalized and the voiceless. While advocacy-led oral history should remain a key focus for oral historians, so must we also use our methodology to document our society more widely and to step outside our comfort zones and engage with interview subjects which challenge our radical credentials. This paper explores reasons for the marked contrast of attitude to elite oral history between Britain and the U.S., arguing that it is rooted in the rather different origins of oral history in the two countries. It draws on corporate oral history project work at the British Library—such as oral histories of the British publishing industry, the Tesco supermarket chain, Royal Mail, branding consultancy Wolff Olins, and the financial center of the City of London including Barings Bank—to argue the case for oral history's contribution to the public understanding of business history and corporate culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Explores the uncertainty in the definition of immigration history and the professional identities of immigration historians in the United States (US). How historians perceived their vocation and employment; Training of historians; Discussions on immigration laws in the US.

Examines the ethnohistory of Indians of the Ohio River Valley from a historian's perspective. Role and effect of Indians on frontier with respect to international struggles and diplomacy; Captivity narrative.

The article presents a speech by Holocaust Memorial Museum historian William F. Meinecke Jr. delivered at the symposium "The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg: Examining Its Legacy 75 Years Later" held at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia on November 19, 2021. Topics discussed include the focus of the United States v. Altstoetter or Justice Case on Administration of Justice officials, and criminal procedure employed in the case.

The article presents a speech by U.S. Army regimental historian and archivist Fred L. Borch III delivered at the symposium "The International Military Tribunal (IMT) at Nuremberg: Examining Its Legacy 75 Years Later" held at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia on November 19, 2021. Topics discussed include the rationale behind the symposium, background of the IMT, and the Nazi war crimes during World War II tackled at the Nuremberg trials.

The article presents announcements on history professors, noting that Kate Burlingham is assistant professor at California State University, Fullerton, Amy Randall is associate professor at Santa Clara University, and David Tanenhaus is history department chair at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The article presents a reprint of the article "Past Is Prologue" by Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson, which appeared in the "Atlantic" magazine. It discusses the importance of establishing a White House Council of Historical Advisers to incorporate applied history in the Executive Office of the president and in American universities in an effort to illuminate current challenges in the country.

There have been moments in American history when government surveillance of everyday citizens has aroused public concerns, most recently Edward Snowden's 2013 revelations concerning widespread, warrantless surveillance of Americans and foreigners alike. What does not arouse public concern are longstanding governmental practices that involve surveillance of poor people who receive certain types of public benefits. This article traces the political history of U.S. poverty-relief programs, considers the perspective of welfare beneficiaries themselves, analyzes American cultural beliefs about the poor in order to offer some thoughts on why those surveillance practices garner little public concern, and argues that those who are concerned about warrantless surveillance of ordinary citizens should do more to protect ordinary poor citizens from surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on American historian Charles Beard and the international interpretation of the American founding. It states that the economic interpretation of Beard of the founding is a century old, wherein he presented the Constitution as the result of class conflict based on economic interests. It notes that the internationalist interpretation of the founding is contributing to a change of focus.

How to characterize the relationship between science and technology has been a sensitive issue for historians of technology. This essay uses a recent and controversial piece by Paul Forman as a springboard for reexamining the concept of applied science and asks whether "applied science" remains a useful term. Scholars have often taken "applied science" to mean the subordination of technological knowledge to scientific knowledge--and thus the subordination of history of technology to history of science. This essay argues that the historical moment for sensitivity on the subject of applied science has passed, that even in instances where technology can accurately be described as subordinate to science it need not follow that its history is subordinate, and that the concept can be useful in addressing issues in the history and contemporary practice of engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the historiography of the Caddo Indians during the period preceding 1685, which was written by Texas historians. The portrayal of the Caddo Indians as a people deriving from the Mississippian culture and from the Hopewell cultural tradition of mound-building is presented. An overview of the archaeological research on the Caddo Indians is presented. An overview of the reasons that Texas historians attribute the Caddo Indians abandoning their settlements and temple mounds, including overpopulation, drought and poor yields from corn planting, is also provided.

An obituary for U.S. historian Doyce Blackman Nunis is presented.

The article discusses regimental histories authored by Maine veterans of the U.S. Civil War. It comments on the formation of regimental associations and examines the question of financial support from the Maine government to fund regimental histories. The author reflects on several histories, including "The Campaigns of the Seventeenth Maine," by Edwin B. Houghton, "The History of the Seventh Maine Light Battery," by Albert S. Twitchell, and "History of the First, Tenth, Twenty-ninth Regiment," by John Mead Gould.

The article presents a biography of the U.S. historian and technological philosopher Melvin Kranzberg, outlining his life and career. An overview of several periods of Kranzberg's life are given, especially citing his academic output and intellectual contributions to the concepts of technology in society. Kranzberg's life and career are particularly discussed within the perspectives of "chance" and "contingency."

The article presents a review of the U.S. Foreign National policy in the administration of former U.S. president Richard M. Nixon on the era of strained relations between nations. It notes that the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series has long been a vital source of study of U.S. diplomatic history and foreign policy. The article further elaborates the review in consideration to the given issue noted and the significant persons who contributed participation including details of the process.

The article discusses the author's experience and involvement in the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR). He worked with Joseph P. O'Grady of La Salle College in Philadelphia to establish SHAFR. Following various commentaries regarding its creation, they were surprised that many historians in the United States agreed to found the association. SHAFR began to grow after officials and officers were voted to head the diplomatic history society.

The author reflects on the Autry National Center's slogan of "What's West, What's Next" to discuss the changing perspectives of historians on the history American West. He presents Frederick Jackson Turner's pioneering old frontier theory that was initially accepted but later challenged by Nelson Limerick's new frontier theory that defined America as a multi-ethnic country shaped by men and women. The author explores some of the historian's works using criteria that include the frontier region divide, convergence of cultures, and the efforts to delink the myth and history to create a more realistic history. The author concludes with suggestions for further research to clear up the 'messiness of history' and make it more meaningful.

This article examines the dilemmas and challenges of objectivity, presentism, and voice and agency I have encountered as an African-American historian of education whose research focuses on the education of Black people. A perplexing problem has been how to conduct good and "respectable" research while identifying with the African-American community I am researching. Drawing on personal research experiences and the selected work of historians and education researchers, I discuss how I have dealt with these methodological queries in my research. Despite dealing with the challenges and dilemmas of objectivity, presentism, and voice and agency in my research, I argue that the "double-consciousness" I face as an African-American scholar within the academy may be transcended by using solid and innovative conceptual and methodological approaches. The article concludes with a reiteration of emergent themes for conducting good research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents various information related to motion pictures and history in the United States. Information on the meetings conducted by the American Historical Association (AHA) and the Organization of American Historians (OAH), both of which gave emphasis on motion pictures; Theme of the biennial convention of the International Association for Media and History in July 2001 in Leipzig, Germany; Motion pictures about American history that were awarded prizes by the OAH and AHA.

Focuses on the historians and biographers in the United States. Discussion on the concept of microhistory; Role of love and betrayal in the writings of historians; Impact of disclosure and doubts of a historian toward his subject on the overall features of his works.

Deals with the anti-Zionism of personnel at the United States Department of State's Division of Near Eastern Affairs. Zionist leaders in the United States; Most influential standard-model historian; Weakness of the standard-model interpretation.

Comments on the articles by sociologists and immigration historians Jon Gjerde, Erika Lee and George Sanchez on the trends in immigration history in the United States (US). Implications of inaccessibility over records of immigration and naturalization in the US; Contention on the actual patterns and pace of group integration into the US society.

Presents a transnational view on reconfiguring the history of the colonial United States. Linking of families and communities in Sicily or Michoacan with those in New York or California; Disengagement by political historians of early modern Britain from the affairs of colonies.

Reports on the 22nd annual leadership conference in association with the Organization of American Historians and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The conference's focus on the meaning of the United States Bill of Rights at 200 years old; Schedule and venue of conference; Topics included in the commissioned papers and proceedings of the conference; How to get more information about the conference.

Expounds on how American historians should meet challenges from outside the academy. Exploration of the American past in all its complexity; Provision of reasonable and reliable answers; Significance of historiographical focus on conservatives and the Right.

Examines where consensus does and does not exist among American economic historians based on the results of a questionnaire mailed to selected Economic History Association members. Issues on which economic historians agreed and disagreed; Areas of disagreement between historians and economists.

Presents a statistical summary of a survey conducted by the `Journal of American History' entitled `What Do American Historians Think.' Reported allegiances for United States and foreign respondents; Weaknesses and strengths of the practice of America history; Personal fulfillment; Influences; Dark spots in American history; Training and education.