Annual Meeting Update and Information

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A Message From Our SHEAR National Conference Coordinator, Robyn Davis:

Dear SHEARites,

Only three weeks until we meet in Cleveland for our 40th annual conference! If you have pre-registered, thank you. If you haven’t, please pre-register today by clicking here. Pre-registration closes next week on 5 July, so if you miss the window you will have to register on-site using cash or a check only and pay a $30 supplement. If you are a graduate student presenting at the conference, your registration is free. However, you must still register.

On-site conference registration is open from 5:00 to 7:30 pm on Thursday 19 July at the registration desk in the conference hotel, and continues until Sunday.

I send you traveling mercies and I look forwarding to seeing you in Cleveland next month. If you need anything before then, please email me at robyn.davis@millersville.edu

Robyn Lily Davis
SHEAR National Conference Coordinator

PS I have two shared grad rooms left at the Marriott. $75 per night. Open to anyone but first come first served. Email me.

 

 

New Book Review editor of the JER

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Andrew Shankman and David Waldstreicher are delighted to announce that Whitney Martinko of Villanova University has joined their editorial team at the Journal of the Early Republic. She will team with Jess Roney as co-book review editors.

Whitney Martinko has held long-term residential fellowships at the American Antiquarian Society, McNeil Center for Early American Studies, and the National Museum of American History as well as research fellowships at Winterthur, the Huntington Library, the Phillips Library at the Peabody-Essex Museum, and a variety of state historical societies. Her writing has appeared in Landscape Architecture Magazine, New England Quarterly, Buildings and Landscapes, Common-Place, and an edited volume, Documenting History, Charting Progress, Exploring the World: Nineteenth-Century Photographs of Architecture. Her first book, The Permanence of the Past: Preservation and Public Property in the Early United States, will be published in the Early American Studies series by Penn Press.

Congratulations, Whitney, and welcome to the JER.

–Craig Thompson Friend, SHEAR president

ANN: Introducing the New Editors of the JER

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We are pleased to introduce the new co-editors of the Journal of the Early Republic, following the excellent leadership of retiring editor, Cathy Kelly. Andrew Shankman of Rutgers University-Camden and David Waldstreicher of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York will assume the editorship of the journal at the conclusion of SHEAR’s annual meeting in July 2018.

Andrew Shankman is a historian of the American Revolution and founding era, and author of Original Intents: Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the American Founding (2017) and Crucible of American Democracy: The Struggle to Fuse Egalitarianism and Capitalism in Jeffersonian Pennsylvania (2004). He edited Anglicizing America: Empire, Revolution, Republic (2015) and The World of the Revolutionary American Republic: Land, Labor and the Conflict for a Continent (2014).

David Waldstreicher is a historian of early and nineteenth-century America, and author of Slavery’s Constitution: From Revolution to Ratification (2009); Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery and the American Revolution (2004); and In the Midst of Perpetual Fetes: The Making of American Nationalism, 1776-1820 (1997). As editor, his books include A Companion to John Adams and John Quincy Adams (2013), A Companion to Benjamin Franklin (2011), and The Struggle Against Slavery: A History in Documents (2001). He also served as co-editor of the Journal of the Early Republic from 2013 to 2014.

The Journal of the Early Republic is a quarterly journal committed to publishing the best scholarship on the history and culture of the United States in the years of the early republic (1776–1861). JER is published for the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic. We welcome submissions for the journal, along with proposals for special issues and expressions of interest in joining the editorial board or reviewing books. Please make inquiries at jer@shear.org.

Sincere gratitude is owed Cathy Kelly for her commitment to the journal, her high standards for the journal’s content, and her vision in expanding the JER’s reach via digital and social media presence. She has been an exceptional editor and will be missed. And a warm welcome is extended to our new co-editors.

—Craig Thompson Friend, SHEAR president

Important News about SHEAR 2018 Conference

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Hello SHEARites! The 2018 annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic is only three months away, and plans are well underway.  On 1 May, an online version of the program will be available at shear.org; printed programs will be available to conference attendees upon check-in.

For those of you ready to make your plans, please find below information about accommodations, travel, and registration as well as the conference highlights.  If you have unanswered questions, please contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu).

Accommodations

Conference Hotel:

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center, 127 Public Square, located in the heart of Cleveland’s business district and within walking distance of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all downtown venues and attractions. Rates are $165/single or double and are valid for up to three days before and three days after the SHEAR conference, based on availability.  (A second block of rooms at the hotel has been reserved for graduate students; please see below.)

The hotel’s amenities include restaurants, room service, complimentary 24-hour a day fitness center, and heated pool.  All conference attendees are responsible for making their own room reservations directly with the Marriott by calling (216) 696-9200 or (800) 228-9290; remember to request the group rate for SHEAR.  Contact the conference coordinator immediately if you have any difficulties when reserving a room.

More information about the hotel is available at http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/clesc-cleveland-marriott-downtown-at-key-center/

Graduate Student Hotel Block:  Rooms are available for graduate students at the reduced rate of $75.00/person, excluding taxes.  All hotel rooms must be shared.  Students interested should contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu) by 27 June 2018 to be booked for this block.  If you do not have a roommate in mind, the coordinator will keep a list to facilitate rooming options.

Getting There

Planes:

Cleveland Hopkins International (CLE) is the closest airport to the conference hotel, served by domestic and international airlines with 150+ non-stop flights daily from more than 50 locations.  The Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center is 12 miles from CLE and can be reached by taxi, public transit, shuttles, and shared rides.

Trains:

Cleveland’s Amtrak Station is downtown and just a mile from the hotel, at 200 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway (216.696.5115).  For information about schedules and pricing, please contact AMTRAK at 800.872.7245 or https://www.amtrak.com

Automobiles:

Cleveland is located at the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the intersection of I-77, I-71, and I-90.  Ohio Rte. 2 follows the Lake Erie shoreline through Cleveland, and the Ohio Turnpike (I-80) and I-480 run east/west of the city.

  • From Cleveland Airport: Take I-71 North to Downtown.  I-71 becomes I-90E.   From I-90 E, merge onto E 9th St via EXIT 172A.  Continue on E 9th  Turn left onto Saint Clair Ave.  The Hotel will be 2.5 blocks ahead on the left.

Parking:  Self-parking is within the underground garage in front of the hotel and costs $8.00 an hour, $22.00 daily; valet parking is $32.00 daily.

Buses:

The Greyhound Bus Terminal is located in downtown Cleveland at 1465 Chester Avenue, 216.781.0520.  For more information, see https://www.greyhound.com

Conference Highlights

Tour: Kirtland Temple, Thursday 19 July.  Dedicated in 1836, Kirtland is the first temple constructed by the Mormons.  A fascinating and revealing structure, the Temple today operates as a National Historic Landmark.  Its Director, Seth Bryant, will lead the tour. Using the built environment of the church itself as illustration, he will highlight the events and controversies that unfolded within the church walls during a time when Joseph Smith was receiving many of his most important revelations and erecting his system of priesthood.  The complete tour (including time in the material culture exhibit space) should last about two hours.  Bus seating is limited and reservations are required. Bus departs hotel at 1:30, returns before 5:00.

Walking Tour:  Downtown Cleveland, Thursday 19 July Friday 20 July.  Historian John Grabowski of the Western Reserve Historical Society and Case Western Reserve University will take participants on a tour of historic downtown Cleveland and its “Public Square,” a 10+ acre common, laid our during the community’s founding in 1796.  The tour will include the “warehouse” district – containing some of the finest old structures of the area – and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, one of the nation’s largest Civil War memorials. Reservations requested.  Departs hotel at 6:00, lasts about 100 minutes.

Second Book Workshop, Thursday 19 July.  Four senior scholar mentors will each facilitate a workshop session for historians of the early American republic who are currently working on second book projects.

President’s Plenary, Thursday, 19 July.  SHEAR’s 40th annual conference opens at 6:00 with the President’s Plenary, “Public Histories and the Early Republic Historian,” inviting us to explore how and why academic history must expand beyond universities and colleges to inform public consumption of history.

Plenary Reception, Thursday 19 July.   At The Arcade Cleveland, immediately following the Plenary, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.

2019 Program Committee Meeting, Friday 20 July.  The Program Committee for the 2019 SHEAR conference in Cambridge will meet beginning at 12:30.

JER Editorial Board Meeting, Friday 20 July.  The JER editorial board meets at 12:30.

Graduate Research Seminars, Friday 20 July.   Continuing SHEAR’s long tradition of mentoring graduate students, six senior scholars will host three concurrent research seminars for advanced graduate students, devoted to different scholarly topics in the history of the early republic.

Tour:  Cleveland Museum of Art, Friday 20 July.  Led by curator of American paintings and sculpture Mark Cole, this tour will focus on three major early American rooms dedicated to the colonial and revolutionary eras, the Federalist era, and 19th century Landscape paintings.  Holdings include portraits by John Singleton Copley, an iconic portrait of Nathaniel Olds in green spectacles (to prevent eye damage from whale oil lamps!), and a series of breathtaking Hudson River School landscapes.  The tour will last an hour; attendees will then be free to explore the rest of this world-class museum.  Bus seating is limited and reservations are required.  Bus departs hotel at 6:00; makes two return trips (after tour and again when museum closes at 9:00).

Graduate Student Meet-n-Greet, Friday 20 July.  Graduate students from the area will welcome their colleagues at an informal gathering and bowling party beginning at 9:00 p.m.

Boydston Women’s Breakfast, Saturday 21 July.  The women of SHEAR will gather from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. for their tenth annual breakfast honoring the life and career of long-time SHEAR member and supporter Jeanne Boydston.  Tickets are $25.00 for a hearty and heartening breakfast; reservations are required.  Please consider sponsoring a graduate student or an early-career scholar this year.

SHEAR Advisory Council, Saturday 21 July.  The Advisory Council meets from noon to 2:00 pm.

Whither the Early Republic, Revisited:  A Forum on the Future of the Field, Saturday 21 July.  In Memory of Michael Morrison.  In 2005, co-editors Mike Morrison and John Larson organized a special issue of the Journal of the Early Republic on the historiographical trends of our field.  At this plenary, John Larson revisits those categories with a group of young scholars to explore how that historiography has evolved over the past dozen years. 

Tour:  Western Reserve Historical Society, Saturday 21 July.  A one-hour introduction to the archival and material culture holdings of the WRHS’s Cleveland History Center.  Resources relating to the early republic will be highlighted, including the Center’s renowned Shaker Manuscript Collection, material relating to the War of 1812, and portraiture from the period.  Bus seating is limited and reservations are required.  Bus departs hotel at 4:00; begins return at 5:45.

Presidential Address, Saturday 21 July.  The 2018 presidential address begins at 6:30.  President Craig Thompson Friend will discuss Lunsford Lane and Me:  On Biography, Empathy, and Reciprocity.  The President’s Address is free and open to all conference participants.

Awards Reception, Saturday 21 July.  The SHEAR awards reception follows immediately after the presidential address.

Founders’ Breakfast, Sunday 22 July.  Forty years into the enterprise that they conceived, SHEAR’s founding members will be honored at a breakfast on Sunday morning, from 7:30 – 9:00 am.

Tour:  Shandy Hall, Sunday 22 July.  Located in Geneva, Ohio, Shandy Hall is a property of the Western Reserve Historical Society.  Built by Robert Harper in 1815, his descendants occupied the structure until the 1930s, expanding it to seventeen rooms and accumulating a wide variety of furniture and household items.  Most of them remain in the house.  This is a very special opportunity to visit one of the most important historical structures in northeastern Ohio.  Seating is limited and reservations are required.  Bus departs at 2, returns at 5 – timing can be adjusted to cater to the travel needs of participants.

Registration

Information about the conference is available under “Annual Meeting” on the SHEAR website.  Preregistration opens 1 May and is $78 for members and $114 for nonmembers; graduate students, public history professionals, independent scholars, and k-12 educators pay $52 (inclusive of online transaction fee).  Once again this year, SHEAR will waive the conference registration fee for all graduate students appearing on the program.  Pre-reregistration must be completed online by Thursday 5 July 2018.  You do not need to be a member of SHEAR to present at the conference, but everyone on the program must register.

If you do not preregister, you may register on-site at the conference. The on-site price will include a $30 on-site registration fee and must be paid in cash or a check made out to SHEAR.

On-site conference check-in will be open at the Marriott from 5:00 to 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 19.  Registration will continue on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday, July 22, from 8:00 am to 10:30 am.

If you have questions about registration or any aspect of the conference itself, please feel free to contact me by email robyn.davis@millersville.edu or via text or phone call to my mobile 405.409.5909.

I look forward to seeing you in Cleveland this July and, as always, I send you traveling mercies.

Robyn Lily Davis, Ph.D.

SHEAR National Conference Coordinator

SHEAR 2018: Hamilton in Cleveland!

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SHEARites! Hamilton the musical opens in Cleveland during SHEAR’s 40th annual conference. The show will run 17 July to 26 August and the only way to purchase tickets to Hamilton is visiting www.playhousesquare.org on April 13th beginning at 9 AM. Please make sure you only purchase tickets by visiting www.playhousesquare.org to avoid third parties and scalpers!

CFA: SHEAR 2018 Graduate Research Seminars

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REMINDER:  Applications due April 20th

SHEAR is pleased to open registration for the 4th annual graduate student research luncheon seminars.  Reserve your spot for a free catered luncheon facilitated by two senior scholars in the field on Friday, 20 July 2018.

These seminars permit grad students and senior faculty to discuss common themes, important areas of research, and the challenges faced by scholars in the field.  Conversations in each group may turn alternately to subjects like archives, methodologies, and important secondary literature in their area. Best of all, these seminars help participants to network amongst like-minded scholars, and to find potential partners for organizing panels for future conferences.

Eligibility:

  • The program and lunch are free, but you must be registered for the conference.
  • You need to be currently enrolled in a graduate program or have received an AY 2017-2018 degree.
  • If necessary, preference will be given to those who did not participate in last year’s graduate seminars and who do not already appear on the conference program.

Sessions:

  • Capitalism and Market Culture led by Tamara Plakins Thornton and Christopher Clark
  • Women, Gender, and the Family in the Era of the American Revolution led by Charlene Boyer Lewis and Craig Thompson Friend
  • Legal History and Culture led by Honor Sachs and Sarah Barringer Gordon

Enrollment in each seminar is limited. We aim to assign participants to their first choice; but if that session fills early, we will accommodate participants in other sessions. To apply, please email a dissertation abstract (250 words max) to SHEAR2018@gmail.com with YOURNAME_Grad_Seminar in the subject line by April 20th.  Include your graduate program (advisor, department, university), expected completion date, and your first and second seminar choice.

CFA: Deadline Extended for 2nd Annual SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop

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SHEAR is pleased to announce the second annual SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop and to invite applications for four sessions at the annual meeting 19-22 July 2018 in Cleveland.

The journey from first to second book can be a difficult one. From choosing a topic for a second book to finding the time and support to research and write, the structure that guides the writing of the dissertation and first book disappears. Many of us struggle with this transition. We wonder if it makes sense to continue a research trajectory clearly laid out in our first project or to try something entirely new. We search for research support at the same time as teaching and service obligations increase. For some scholars, these difficulties are compounded by the obligations of family and child rearing that can make residential fellowships or long-term travel seem impossible. Yet the second book is an essential step in career advancement: a requirement for the promotion to full professorships or even at some institutions, for tenure. In recognition of the unique challenges of this stage, SHEAR’s workshop is designed to support its members at this transitional point in their scholarly careers.

The SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop replicates some of the structures of feedback that dissertation writers experience. The goals of the workshop include both practical advice and the motivation that comes from writing for and with your peers. To accommodate the many stages of second book production, the workshop encourages flexibility in pre-circulated materials. Organized into genre-based groups, the workshop provides a space for discussion of drafts of book proposals, fellowship applications, chapter drafts, and other documents related to the writing of a second book.

In 2018, workshops will take place in the afternoon of Thursday, July 19 prior to the plenary session. Committed mentors include John Larson, Marla Miller, Andrew Shankman, and Rosemarie Zagarri.

To apply to participate, writers of second books should submit via e-mail to 2ndBookSHEAR@gmail.com a single .pdf or Word file that contains a one-page CV and a one-page document comprising a description both of your second book project and of the document that you would like to circulate for the workshop. Applications to participate in the workshop should be submitted no later than April 1, 2018, and applicants can expect to hear back by mid-April.

Accepted participants’ materials for pre-circulation will be due June 15.

CFA: SHEAR 2018 Graduate Research Seminars

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SHEAR is pleased to open registration for the 4th annual graduate student research luncheon seminars.  Reserve your spot for a free catered luncheon facilitated by two senior scholars in the field on Friday, 20 July 2018.

These seminars permit grad students and senior faculty to discuss common themes, important areas of research, and the challenges faced by scholars in the field.  Conversations in each group may turn alternately to subjects like archives, methodologies, and important secondary literature in their area. Best of all, these seminars help participants to network amongst like-minded scholars, and to find potential partners for organizing panels for future conferences.

Eligibility:

  • The program and lunch are free, but you must be registered for the conference.
  • You need to be currently enrolled in a graduate program or have received an AY 2017-2018 degree.
  • If necessary, preference will be given to those who did not participate in last year’s graduate seminars and who do not already appear on the conference program.

Sessions:

  • Capitalism and Market Culture led by Tamara Plakins Thornton and Christopher Clark
  • Women, Gender, and the Family in the Era of the American Revolution led by Charlene Boyer Lewis and Craig Thompson Friend
  • Legal History and Culture led by Honor Sachs and Sarah Barringer Gordon

Enrollment in each seminar is limited. We aim to assign participants to their first choice; but if that session fills early, we will accommodate participants in other sessions. To apply, please email a dissertation abstract (250 words max) to SHEAR2018@gmail.com with YOURNAME_Grad_Seminar in the subject line by April 20th.  Include your graduate program (advisor, department, university), expected completion date, and your first and second seminar choice.

Call for Applications: 2nd Annual SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop

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SHEAR is pleased to announce the second annual SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop and to invite applications for four sessions at the annual meeting 19-22 July 2018 in Cleveland.

The journey from first to second book can be a difficult one. From choosing a topic for a second book to finding the time and support to research and write, the structure that guides the writing of the dissertation and first book disappears. Many of us struggle with this transition. We wonder if it makes sense to continue a research trajectory clearly laid out in our first project or to try something entirely new. We search for research support at the same time as teaching and service obligations increase. For some scholars, these difficulties are compounded by the obligations of family and child rearing that can make residential fellowships or long-term travel seem impossible. Yet the second book is an essential step in career advancement: a requirement for the promotion to full professorships or even at some institutions, for tenure. In recognition of the unique challenges of this stage, SHEAR’s workshop is designed to support its members at this transitional point in their scholarly careers.

The SHEAR Second-Book Writers’ Workshop replicates some of the structures of feedback that dissertation writers experience. The goals of the workshop include both practical advice and the motivation that comes from writing for and with your peers. To accommodate the many stages of second book production, the workshop encourages flexibility in pre-circulated materials. Organized into genre-based groups, the workshop provides a space for discussion of drafts of book proposals, fellowship applications, chapter drafts, and other documents related to the writing of a second book.

In 2018, workshops will take place in the afternoon of Thursday, July 19 prior to the plenary session. Committed mentors include John Larson, Marla Miller, Andrew Shankman, and Rosemary Zagarri.

To apply to participate, writers of second books should submit via e-mail to 2ndBookSHEAR@gmail.com a single .pdf or Word file that contains a one-page CV and a one-page document comprising a description both of your second book project and of the document that you would like to circulate for the workshop. Applications to participate in the workshop should be submitted no later than March 15, 2018, and applicants can expect to hear back by mid-April.

Accepted participants’ materials for pre-circulation will be due June 15.

SHEAR Seeking New JER Editor

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EDITOR: JOURNAL OF THE EARLY REPUBLIC

Applicants sought for the editorship of the Journal of the Early Republic, a quarterly publication committed to the best scholarship on the history and culture of the United States during the early republic (1776–1861). Since its beginning thirty-seven years ago, the journal has carved out a unique and important position in the landscape of historical publications, fostering a rich conversation among specialists of all types who share an interest in the period’s history, in all of its complex dimensions. The JER strives to provide healthy and creative discourse among new and veteran scholars, across a variety of historical topics, including politics, culture, gender, race and ethnicity, class, religion, economic development, and law.

We are willing to entertain a single editor or a pair of co-editors. Editor(s) must be active members of SHEAR at time of appointment and throughout tenure. The successful applicant(s) will serve as editor(s)-elect for a transition period through July 2018. The term of appointment will begin 1 August 2018, and will extend for five years with possibility for renewal. The editorship carries no stipend, but financial support for travel and other related expenses is available. The position requires support from the editor’s home institution, which generally includes course release and some level of administrative assistance, typically in the form of a graduate assistant. In return for supporting the editor’s contributions, SHEAR recognizes the editor’s home institution as a sponsor of the journal.

In general, the editor is responsible for the intellectual content, quality, and timeliness of the journal issues as well as the overall success of the journal by encouraging submissions, reading incoming manuscripts, soliciting referees, evaluating referees’ reports, writing decision letters, working with authors to develop and improve submissions, and editing for content, accuracy, and clarity. We check footnote citations (thus the graduate assistant) as far as possible for accuracy and integrity. The constitutional duties of the editor are:
• Performing all responsibilities associated with the management of the Journal of the Early Republic, including relations with the Journal’s host institutions, authors, the Editorial Board, direct supervision of any editorial staff, and coordination with any publishers, vendors, or other parties contracted to produce and distribute the Journal.
• Recruiting and appointing, with the advice of the President and Advisory Council, members of the Editorial Board to assist with the development of content for the Journal
• Recruiting and appointing, with the advice of the President and Advisory Council, a Book Review Editor for the Journal.
• Appointing an annual prize committee for Best Article Prize.
• Representing the Journal in all deliberations of the Society as an ex-officio member of the Advisory Council and Executive Committee.
• Reporting to the President and the Advisory Council, and submitting an annual report to the Council.

Application Materials: The application package should include:
• Curriculum vitae, highlighting scholarly expertise in the field and editorial experience.
• Vision Statement, no more than 5 pages, describing challenges and opportunities, a vision for the journal, continued development of online presence, and objective milestones for evaluation.
• Description of Institutional Resources addressing the feasibility of serving as editor in light of the institutional resources likely to be available. Preliminary statements of institutional support (including adequate office space and graduate, or other clerical, assistance) from the applicant’s Chair and/or Dean are requested.
• Names and contact information for three references.

Search procedure: Further information may be requested from SHEAR president, Craig Friend at ctfriend@ncsu.edu. Applications must be submitted as one PDF document to Craig Friend as well. Review of applications will begin on 1 February 2018, and will continue until the position is filled. The successful candidate will be required to provide a letter from the sponsoring institution on its commitment of resources to the journal’s success.