Page of Reason, Vol. V, October 2021
Dispatches from your most humble servant, the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies, Iona College.
Welcome to Volume V of Page of Reason, a newsletter of the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies (ITPS), Iona College, New Rochelle, NY!
Each edition of Page of Reason features six sections of content produced by the ITPS, highlighting the work of our friends and colleagues in the fields of American, Atlantic, and Global history, and featuring the Iona College community: Common Acts, Common Facts, Common Sounds, Common Views, Common Campus, and Common Words. Find more information about the ITPS and our activities at our Research Portal, theitps.org and follow us on Twitter @TheITPS!
Common Acts
We are very excited to announce our September 2022 biannual conference, Crafting Narratives of Empire: Contested Roots of Revolution in the Long Eighteenth Century, co-hosted alongside the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri. The conference will be held virtually and in-person in New Rochelle, NY, from September 22nd-24th, 2022.
How do eighteenth-century narratives of empire still echo in our historiography and imaginations today? First coined in 1775, “salutary neglect” was one example which painted the first half of the eighteenth century as a period of declining British imperial engagement and increasing colonial independence. While assumptions of salutary neglect still permeate much of late eighteenth-century and revolutionary scholarship, scholars of the early eighteenth century have pushed back on this very narrative to uncover an imperial state far more actively engaged in North American colonial affairs long before the Seven Years’ War. “Iroquois Empire” was another example that emerged in the eighteenth century, built upon a real or imagined past of Iroquois conquest, confirmed by treaty and policy, and perpetuated by early historians. While it has receded in recent decades, scholars have turned to yet other Indigenous groups and polities, again through the lens of empire.
These are just two of many narratives of empire that scholars have sought to reassess, with recent work on North America and the Atlantic pushing us still further in comparative, entangled, and contested directions. In this continued spirit, we aim to bring together scholars from both halves of the eighteenth century to reexamine imperial rule and how narratives of empire were wielded and debated during the colonial, revolutionary, and early republican eras. We welcome work on either side of the Atlantic to reconnect and reconsider these histories and historiographies.
Read the full CFP and find paper and panel submission details here!
Common Sounds
We were very excited to listen to recent “Ben Franklin’s World” episodes featuring Katherine Carte on “Religion and the American Revolution,” and Joshua Rothman on “The Domestic Slave Trade.” We were equally excited for the kickoff of Season 6 of “Conversations at the Washington Library” hosted by Dr. Jim Ambuske, featuring Mike Duncan! So excited, in fact, that we thought we’d re-up Episode 1 of “Public History in a Virtual Age,” hosted by ITPS Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, featuring BFW’s Liz Covart and Ambuske discussing their views on history podcasting.
Common Views
We were thrilled to host an all-star panel of historians for our September Constitution Day event, “Legacies of the Constitution.” The roundtable featured ITPS Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, Dr. Sally E. Hadden (Western Michigan University), Dr. Martha Jones (The Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Kate Masur (Northwestern University), and Dr. Jeanne Sheehan Zaino (Iona College), moderated by ITPS Director and Gardiner Assistant Professor of History Dr. Nora Slonimsky. Enjoy the video of this timely and enlightening panel!
Common Words
If you haven’t yet, subscribe to “Imperfect Union,” Dr. Chervinsky’s Substack newsletter featuring commentary, analysis, and curated pieces featuring all things Early Republic, presidential and political history, and contemporary politics! Read and subscribe here!
Common Campus
Calling all local Westchester folks! Our valued community partner, the Thomas Paine Cottage Museum, suffered significant damage from Hurricane Ida in September. The Cottage is hosting several fundraisers to help rebuild the historic site. Among these fundraisers is a Colonial Tavern night on October 15, and a research talk by Iona College alum James McGlashin on October 17, entitled “New Rochelle: Her Part in the Irish War for Independence.” More information about these events and donation details here.
Common Facts
We’ll send a box of gifts and goods to the first entrant to answer the following trivia question concerning Thomas Paine and the Age of Revolutions. Email your answer to itps@iona.edu!
Continuing the theme from last month’s Page of Reason, name the author of this #ClassicCover of American Revolution historiography from our expanded Lapidus Collection of Revolutionary Era literature.
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