So at first I had trouble locating primary sources that would be beneficial to my topic. I knew that they were out there, but finding them was a little more difficult than I had originally had thought. I searched key words like: taverns, colonial, beer, ale, secret meeting, founding fathers, etc. I really had nothing but air to stand on. I was struggling. But then I found a breakthrough, in the form of Paul Revere. Then I found another breakthrough, and another. This really started happening during our class last Thursday in the computer lab. That work day was extremely beneficial to me and my research.
Paul Revere's ride is nothing short of famous. It is most commonly told in song, which I think is an interesting and fantastic way to spread lore, as well as, facts. Songs are catchy, and easily remembered. The song itself hasn't been the most useful primary source because it does not directly talk about the taverns, but I recently watched a History channel episode which detailed Revere's ride being a secret event and not the screaming "The British are coming!" as so commonly believed. I am still in search for the History Channel's citation in this episode, but I know it is there.
What I have found, however, is conclusive proof that revolutionary meetings were indeed held in taverns. Paul Revere stated, "We
held our meetings at the Green-Dragon tavern. We were so careful that our meetings should be
kept secret, that every time we met, every person swore upon the Bible, that
they would not discover any of our transactions, but to Messrs. Hancock, Adams,
Doctors Warren, Cisuacim, and one or two more" (Revere, 310). I have not really dug into all of Revere's diary entries (there are many), but here is conclusive proof that these meetings, meant to spark rebellion, we held in the safety of town taverns.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Ashley Blog #1: Dina Porat and the Uniqueness of Lithuania
I’ve actually been
quite fortunate this week to discover that two sources I ordered on a whim are
actually primary sources in the form of memoirs from Holocaust survivors. Talk
about happy accidents! I haven’t had a chance to start digging into them yet,
but I have recently finished reading a very intriguing work by Dina Porat. I’ve
included the Chicago Manual of Style citation and analysis below.
Porat,
Dina. “The Holocaust in Lithuania: Some Unique Aspects.” In The Final Solution: Origins and
Implementation, edited by David Cesarani, 151-174. London: Routledge, 1994.
In
this chapter, Porat seeks to outline some of the disturbing and interesting
trends within Nazi occupied Lithuania that separated it from the surrounding
areas for its treatment of the Jewish population. Most scholars agree that the
Holocaust started in Lithuania, as the full force of the killings began in that
country and spread outward. However, the uniqueness of the Lithuanian Holocaust
stems not from its beginning, but rather from the specific details of how it
was carried out.
She begins by
describing the utter devastation of the Lithuanian Jewry. While the overall
number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust was high, the percentage of the
Lithuanian Jewry decimated by the killing actions was, most sources agree,
around 95% (160). The murders were also unusually quick. From the invasion of
Lithuania by the Germans in June of 1941 to December of the same year, 80% of
the Jewish population had already been killed (161). Furthermore, Lithuania
became the last stop for many foreign Jews transported to Lithuanian ghettos
from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia (162).
Porat also describes
the “intense involvement of the local population, in large numbers, in the
murder of the Jews,” and the “eagerness the Lithuanians demonstrated” when
asked to participate in Einsatzgruppe
killing sprees (162). She theorizes that this readiness to volunteer for the
Nazis stemmed from the intense anti-Soviet propaganda within Lithuania, and
intrinsically aided the annihilation of the Lithuanian Jewish population. She
states, “According to Jewish sources, there was hardly any need for the
presence of Germans in the small places” as the Jews were almost completely
wiped out not by Nazi forces, but by their own fellow Lithuanian citizens (163).
Descriptions by survivors “make it quite clear that Lithuanians perpetrated
most of the torture and killing, generally without any German officials on the
spot” (162). She also states that research by Hans-Heinrich Wilhelm indicates
that “possibly half or two-thirds of Lithuanian Jews were killed by local units”
and not by Germans (162).
The reason for this
volunteerism attitude, Porat theorizes, originates from several factors. Though
her chapter does not delve into these reasons with very much detail, she
nevertheless states that “it was a combination of... national traditions and
values, religion, severe economic problems and tragically opposed political
orientations” (166). The common Nazi ideology of “Jewish Bolshevism” was
rampant in Lithuania, as those involved in the killings saw the Jews as pawns
of the Soviet regime they had supported in 1940-41. This regime had stripped
Lithuania of its independence, and the subsequent German invasion, coupled with
Hitler’s strong anti-Soviet stance, “provided the framework and the
legitimation for the killing of Lithuania’s Jews” (166). Porat also takes care
to stress that “not all Lithuanians took part in the killings,” but the
situation in Lithuania was nevertheless unique from those of other Eastern
European countries in its scope and speed (166).
The Troubles of Northern Ireland
For my first reading over The Troubles, I chose to go with a source that would provide a brief, but fairly accurate analysis of the conflict that occurred in Ireland during the twentieth century. Marc Mullholland's Northern Ireland: A Very Short Introduction gives a concise summary over this subject. Mullholland is a modern historian who has other publications relating to twentieth century Ireland, particularly Northern Ireland and unionism, which will be useful for future research. I am also interested in Mulllholland's work for the fact that he seems to analyze the loyalists/unionists side more thoroughly than the republicans/nationalists. The republican/nationalist party has taken the forefront in many of my secondary sources, so it is refreshing to read on a historian's research over the other party.
From the first chapter, it becomes apparent that divisions within Ireland have been around for many centuries. Dating back to the Reformation, hostility has occurred between the generally more prosperous Protestants and the less well-off Catholics. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, reasons behind this hostility were mainly caused by who controlled and profited from the Irish plantation plots (Mullholland 2). During the seventeenth century, religion was the primary cause of tension, especially during the civil war of the 1790s (Mullholland 5). And, as Mullholland points out, while Ireland would modernize in some aspects during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as in industry, in other aspects, it remained archaic; religious differences peppered with social and economic consequences continued to divide the Irish community and promote hostility between the Catholics and the Protestants (14).
While Mullholland's historical perspective may not be ingenious or original, it does provide important information about Ireland's past conflicts and the reasons behind them. Therefore, it is not so surprising that conflict occurred on this island in the mid-twentieth century. I don't believe Mullholland is trying to suggest that The Troubles were inevitable in his first chapter, but I do think he wants to prove to the reader that The Troubles might have historical precedents. And I believe he also wants to convey the message that yes, it is tragic that the "Catholics in Northern Ireland feel Irish and the Protestants associate themselves with Britain, and thus each group sanctions violence to substantiate their identities" (Preface). But that is not the only thing that is tragic about Ireland, and, in fact it is not even that peculiar or original to Ireland itself. The real tragedy, as Mullholland eloquently states, is that Ireland's "people have not been able to agree upon a common identity. Rather than stand by each other, they compete. Being so alike - in language, appearance, and broad culture, they cling tenaciously to that which marks them out. The successful consolidation of either British unionism or Irish nationalism, it is feared, will submerge the other" (Preface). I feel that this is this issue that Mullholland will try and further stress and embellish as I read more into his work: the conundrum over how religion and politics can divide a modern country so much that it forces them to enact on deadly violence in attempt to come to a resolution or union.
McKenzie Morrow
From the first chapter, it becomes apparent that divisions within Ireland have been around for many centuries. Dating back to the Reformation, hostility has occurred between the generally more prosperous Protestants and the less well-off Catholics. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, reasons behind this hostility were mainly caused by who controlled and profited from the Irish plantation plots (Mullholland 2). During the seventeenth century, religion was the primary cause of tension, especially during the civil war of the 1790s (Mullholland 5). And, as Mullholland points out, while Ireland would modernize in some aspects during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as in industry, in other aspects, it remained archaic; religious differences peppered with social and economic consequences continued to divide the Irish community and promote hostility between the Catholics and the Protestants (14).
While Mullholland's historical perspective may not be ingenious or original, it does provide important information about Ireland's past conflicts and the reasons behind them. Therefore, it is not so surprising that conflict occurred on this island in the mid-twentieth century. I don't believe Mullholland is trying to suggest that The Troubles were inevitable in his first chapter, but I do think he wants to prove to the reader that The Troubles might have historical precedents. And I believe he also wants to convey the message that yes, it is tragic that the "Catholics in Northern Ireland feel Irish and the Protestants associate themselves with Britain, and thus each group sanctions violence to substantiate their identities" (Preface). But that is not the only thing that is tragic about Ireland, and, in fact it is not even that peculiar or original to Ireland itself. The real tragedy, as Mullholland eloquently states, is that Ireland's "people have not been able to agree upon a common identity. Rather than stand by each other, they compete. Being so alike - in language, appearance, and broad culture, they cling tenaciously to that which marks them out. The successful consolidation of either British unionism or Irish nationalism, it is feared, will submerge the other" (Preface). I feel that this is this issue that Mullholland will try and further stress and embellish as I read more into his work: the conundrum over how religion and politics can divide a modern country so much that it forces them to enact on deadly violence in attempt to come to a resolution or union.
McKenzie Morrow
Forging a New Identity: The Costs and Benefits of Diversity in Civil War Combat Units for Black Slaves and Freemen.
This article is one focused on the experiences of black soldiers in the Civil War and how being in the regiments gave soldiers new life experiences that they would have never otherwise had, and how that changed soldier's lives. The authors Dora L. Costa and Matthew E. Kahn jump in on the ongoing debate as to whether or not having diverse regiments in the Civil War was beneficial to not only the unit, but also to the soldiers. While this evaluation is important, my focus on the article is based more on two sections titled "The Black Military Experience" and "Black Company Formation and Diversity".
The first section provides me with a wealth of background knowledge of the scope and experience of black soldiers. By the end of the Civil War 186,017 black soldiers served in the war effort. (Costa and Kahn, 938) The scale of soldiers that participated in the north was entirely different from the south as 78% of eligible black men from the north served, where as only 11% of eligible black men served in the Confederacy. (Costa and Kahn, 938) This section serves as a great secondary source in providing a summary of what blacks experienced in the war that I would have otherwise not know. Like the fact that black soldiers early in the war were not likely to be sent into war because they were not trusted as soldiers. (Costa and Kahn, 939).
The next section also relates to my research because it directly addresses types of black regiments and the levels of diversity. Although there might not have been racial diversity in all units, there was a hierarchy of blacks within black units. (Costa and Kahn, 940.) According to the authors, white officers of black regiments were either abolitionists or opportunist who saw the opportunity to improve their ranking. (Costa and Kahn, 940). While the rest of the article is useful, these two sections give me the big picture of what black regiments were like, and helps create background knowledge that will allow me to dig deeper into the subject of what was the Civil War like for black soldiers. With this information I am also able to hone in more on time frames such as early in the war, the experience of black soldiers will be completely different from the experiences of a black soldier late in the war.
Costa, Dora L. and Kahn, Matthew E. "Forging a New Identity: The Costs and Benefits of Diversity in Civil War Combat Units for Black Slaves and Freemen."The Journal of Economic History December 2006: 936-962.
The first section provides me with a wealth of background knowledge of the scope and experience of black soldiers. By the end of the Civil War 186,017 black soldiers served in the war effort. (Costa and Kahn, 938) The scale of soldiers that participated in the north was entirely different from the south as 78% of eligible black men from the north served, where as only 11% of eligible black men served in the Confederacy. (Costa and Kahn, 938) This section serves as a great secondary source in providing a summary of what blacks experienced in the war that I would have otherwise not know. Like the fact that black soldiers early in the war were not likely to be sent into war because they were not trusted as soldiers. (Costa and Kahn, 939).
The next section also relates to my research because it directly addresses types of black regiments and the levels of diversity. Although there might not have been racial diversity in all units, there was a hierarchy of blacks within black units. (Costa and Kahn, 940.) According to the authors, white officers of black regiments were either abolitionists or opportunist who saw the opportunity to improve their ranking. (Costa and Kahn, 940). While the rest of the article is useful, these two sections give me the big picture of what black regiments were like, and helps create background knowledge that will allow me to dig deeper into the subject of what was the Civil War like for black soldiers. With this information I am also able to hone in more on time frames such as early in the war, the experience of black soldiers will be completely different from the experiences of a black soldier late in the war.
Costa, Dora L. and Kahn, Matthew E. "Forging a New Identity: The Costs and Benefits of Diversity in Civil War Combat Units for Black Slaves and Freemen."The Journal of Economic History December 2006: 936-962.
Blog Post #1 - Sources I've Located
As I have mentioned in class I plan to do an analysis over the very militaristic Women’s Social and Political Union, referred to WSPU from this point on. So far, I have ordered several books from inter-library loan specifically through World Cat. These books include both primary sources and secondary sources. The first of these books is Speeches and Trials of the Militant Suffragettes: The Women's Social and Political Union, 1903-1918. This book written in 1999 is a secondary source, but includes primary sources within it. I hope to get general information from different women’s voices during this time. It will be extremely beneficial if I can find speeches from the specific women I am looking to analyze in more detail.
-Jenn Kervian
The next source that I have located is a primary source from Christabel Pankhurst. It is her memoir named Unshackled: The Story of How We Won the Vote. Christabel Pankhurst came from the younger generation of Pankhursts and led the militaristic wing of the WSPU, especially when it heightened to its strongest right before World War I. Christabel offered a more violent and focused plan for the younger women to demand rights, instead of merely protesting for them. So for her to write a source it offers the younger generations’ view of the women’s movement, especially with the escalation in violence. Therefore, any information that I can gain from her thoughts, speeches and ideas will be the backbone of my paper.
There are a few other sources that I am waiting to receive from inter-library loan, these I do not know how well will relate to my topic specifically but I plan to search through them for information. Some of the titles of these works are The Suffragettes: Towards Emancipation, The Militants: Suffragette Activism, and Suffrage and the Pankhursts. The final source I ordered from inter-library loan is Extracts from the Speeches of Mrs. Pankhurst, George Lansbury, Annie Kenney & Sylvia Pankhurst, the Suffragette Prisoners who Were Convicted of Incitement to Violence. This sources sounds extremely promising because it offers speeches from multiple individuals, two of whom I am looking to study in depth. I am currently looking for more sources, especially any memoirs or other primary sources to give strong back story. I have a few in mind, and am in the process of ordering them, from inter-library loan, Mobius, SWAN, or checking Olin’s shelves for them.
-Jenn Kervian
Allison Morris Blog #1: Titanic
Hello everyone,
None of my books have come in yet this week, so this blog is going to be an analysis of a secondary source, a journal article which I found on JSTOR. The source is: The Night the Good Ship Went Down, Three Fateful Dinners Aboard the Titanic by Andrea Broomfield. It was written in 2009, so it is a fairly recent source.
The focus of Broomfield's article is looking at social classes aboard the Titanic by analyzing the food that they ate. Broomfield argued that the planners of the Titanic reflected social classes especially at dinnertime by reflecting their "sense of their own needs and identities" (Broomfield 32). According to Broomfield, the meals aboard the Titanic were designed very carefully because the American owned ship was one of the first that catered to all social classes, not only the very wealthy as the industry had once tried to attract. Her thesis is "The three different dinners served to the various classes of passengers the night the Titanic went down reveal a rich, nuanced story about the intersections of class, nationalism, and mass consumerism on the eve of World War One" (Broomfield 32).
This article will be helpful to my research because I am interested in the social aspects of the Titanic. Before reading this article I really had only thought about how the wealthy were catered to aboard the Titanic because I had read about how the lower class a person belonged to, the more likely they were to have died in the sinking of the Titanic. Broomfield however, discussed how the ship industry was completely changing and trying to accept all classes of people and they were very careful in their planning to make second and third class passengers feel comfortable. Something Broomfield also discussed is how these social groups were able to mingle in this unique situation aboard the Titanic, something they most likely would not have done outside the boat.
The Titanic meant different things to different social groups. For the wealthy, it was an exciting trip with great food, activities, and chances to socialize with others like themselves. For many of the third class passengers, the ship represented a way to new opportunities in America. I appreciated the details that Broomfield included in her article including the last meal that third class passengers ate on the Titanic which included roast beef, potatoes, corn, rice soup, biscuits, and plum pudding. The types of food in addition to how many and when the courses were served were meant to reflect what the different social classes would have ate at home. Broomfield argued that the roast beef in this last meal was symbolic of prosperous people, because the third class passengers would have ate it only on special occasions. The plum pudding was usually only served by lower classes on celebrations such as Christmas. Broomfield went on to analyze all three final menus' served aboard the Titanic to prove her thesis. I am not going to go into detail about these because it would be way to much information to include on here, but hopefully this will show the direction of where I am going with this project. I am mostly interested in the social classes and how they interacted before and during the sinking of the ship. This article gives good insight and has made me think of new questions and ways to approach my topic.
None of my books have come in yet this week, so this blog is going to be an analysis of a secondary source, a journal article which I found on JSTOR. The source is: The Night the Good Ship Went Down, Three Fateful Dinners Aboard the Titanic by Andrea Broomfield. It was written in 2009, so it is a fairly recent source.
The focus of Broomfield's article is looking at social classes aboard the Titanic by analyzing the food that they ate. Broomfield argued that the planners of the Titanic reflected social classes especially at dinnertime by reflecting their "sense of their own needs and identities" (Broomfield 32). According to Broomfield, the meals aboard the Titanic were designed very carefully because the American owned ship was one of the first that catered to all social classes, not only the very wealthy as the industry had once tried to attract. Her thesis is "The three different dinners served to the various classes of passengers the night the Titanic went down reveal a rich, nuanced story about the intersections of class, nationalism, and mass consumerism on the eve of World War One" (Broomfield 32).
This article will be helpful to my research because I am interested in the social aspects of the Titanic. Before reading this article I really had only thought about how the wealthy were catered to aboard the Titanic because I had read about how the lower class a person belonged to, the more likely they were to have died in the sinking of the Titanic. Broomfield however, discussed how the ship industry was completely changing and trying to accept all classes of people and they were very careful in their planning to make second and third class passengers feel comfortable. Something Broomfield also discussed is how these social groups were able to mingle in this unique situation aboard the Titanic, something they most likely would not have done outside the boat.
The Titanic meant different things to different social groups. For the wealthy, it was an exciting trip with great food, activities, and chances to socialize with others like themselves. For many of the third class passengers, the ship represented a way to new opportunities in America. I appreciated the details that Broomfield included in her article including the last meal that third class passengers ate on the Titanic which included roast beef, potatoes, corn, rice soup, biscuits, and plum pudding. The types of food in addition to how many and when the courses were served were meant to reflect what the different social classes would have ate at home. Broomfield argued that the roast beef in this last meal was symbolic of prosperous people, because the third class passengers would have ate it only on special occasions. The plum pudding was usually only served by lower classes on celebrations such as Christmas. Broomfield went on to analyze all three final menus' served aboard the Titanic to prove her thesis. I am not going to go into detail about these because it would be way to much information to include on here, but hopefully this will show the direction of where I am going with this project. I am mostly interested in the social classes and how they interacted before and during the sinking of the ship. This article gives good insight and has made me think of new questions and ways to approach my topic.
Ashlie's work on Vaudeville
Hey everyone, below is a small example of what I have been working on. Only a few of my books are here, so I am just beginning to piece together what I am wanting to look at.
I have been messing with where I wanted to start on my project, and spent a few hours this past week and weekend gathering sources and working on my research. I have acquired a few books, one focusing on biographical profiles such as ones on Eva Tanguay, a famous Vaudevillian performer originally from Canada titled Queen of Vaudeville: The Story of Eva Tanguay by Andrew L. Erdman. I also have a small book titled Women Vaudeville Stars: Eighty Biographical Profiles by Armond Fields, with biographical profiles of other women who were involved in Vaudeville, such as Florence Mills, the first Black performer to be a headliner and have her own show on Broadway.
Some of the work I am looking at in a book titled A Pictorial History of Vaudeville by Bernard Sobel involves Blackface, such as looking at the famous Vaudevillian Al Johnson, also known as the Minstrel Man. He worked on the stage as an imitator, and is well known as the main character in The Jazz Singer, the first “talkie” film which was released in 1927.
Through these books, I have began to notice that almost half of the main lead performances, the ones that were at the top of the Bill, were women. From these, about half of them were immigrant or Yiddish performers. Many of these women were also some of the top-paid performers, with a few of them bringing in $500 a night.
Alongside the women, a few performers were “Negro”, although most of the Black performers were White males dressed in Blackface for imitation. Some of them, such as Florence Mills, Adelaide Hill, and Aunt Jemima ( Yes she was a real performer), were extremely well paid and loved, but most have never received any coverage since the end of the Vaudeville era.
I am hoping to have a bit more soon once the rest of my books come in.
Ashlie
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