Early American Studies

October is National Economic Education Month! Consult our new “Economics Resource Guide" to learn more about money, debt, markets, and finance in Early America: web.sas.upenn.edu/ea...

It’s International Open Access Week! Did you know EAS is an open access journal? Read our open issues here: muse.jhu.edu/journal... Thank you to our journal editors, authors, and funders who make open access possible and help expand access to research for everyone! #OAWeek #OpenAccess

As a reminder, read Ella Scalese's exhibit review of “America’s Founding” at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. What can teapots, coins, and children’s toys teach us about the American Revolution? tinyurl.com/mt6jf9mm

Catch Julia Linde's exhibit review of “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution," at the Mercer Museum, which advocates for the importance of nuance in historical narratives. Here, it is up to the audience to decide: are good and bad binary, or might there be gray area? tinyurl.com/332nwttf

Don't miss it: Aaron Michael Hoggle's exhibit review of "The American Story" at the National Archives confronts misconceptions about the country's founding. In celebration of the United States's 250th, the museum utilized visual records to shift a faulty narrative: tinyurl.com/37tv8jst

In case you missed it, Aimee Newell reviewed "Then, Now, Next: 200 Years and Counting" at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. Diving into a 200-year-old museum, her exploration considers the stories we've preserved and those we've yet to create. tinyurl.com/3bxpcjts

Julia Linde's exhibit review of “The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution," at the Mercer Museum, examines the importance of nuance in historical narratives. Here, the audience is invited to be the judge: must people be deemed good or bad, or might there be space for both? tinyurl.com/332nwttf

Read Ella Scalese's exhibit review of “America’s Founding” at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. What can teapots, coins, and children’s toys teach us about the American Revolution? tinyurl.com/mt6jf9mm

At the National Archives, America's past is displayed through visual records. The new exhibit, "The American Story," challenges misconceptions and invites visitors to reflect upon the nation at our 250th. Read Aaron Michael Hoggle's exhibit review: tinyurl.com/37tv8jst

What can a 200-year-old museum tell us about the stories we've preserve and those we've yet to create? Aimee Newell reviews "Then, Now, Next: 200 Years and Counting" at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. tinyurl.com/3bxpcjts

Remembering Susan E. Klepp (1943-2026), Daniel Richter writes, “in all our encounters, I had been struck by her quiet competence, her unflappable demeanor, and her ability to show up and get things done without drawing much attention to herself.” Read more here: tinyurl.com/kawbntfc

Rosalind J. Beiler, Early American Studies co-editor, remembers Susan E. Klepp (1943-2026) as “amazing role model who I always seek to emulate when mentoring my own students and peers.” Read more here: tinyurl.com/4amkj7ze

Billy Smith admired the scholarship of Susan Klepp (1943-2026), “particularly her book Revolutionary Conceptions, which demonstrated her ability to uncover intimate details of family life, sexuality, and the demographic transition to smaller families.” Read more here: tinyurl.com/5fcynyez

“Why do you write the entire world in one sentence?,” Susan E. Klepp (1943-2026) once asked Jennifer Janofsky. Today, Jennifer still delivers the “same feedback word-for-word” to her own students. Read more here: tinyurl.com/4442shea

Remembering Susan E. Klepp (1943-2026), Karin Wulf writes: “It’s a cliché to say that the historian’s life can be much too short, and we’re grateful for the work that lives on. But like so many cliches, it’s got just enough truth.” Read more here: tinyurl.com/3uksu5nh

EAS: Miscellany was saddened to learn of the death of Susan E. Klepp, a historian of early American women and an active member of the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. We offer this collection of tributes in her honor: tinyurl.com/3uksu5nh

Did the US almost admit an Indigenous state to the union? James M. Greene's new essay on the 1778 Treaty of Fort Pitt and White Eyes's push for Delaware statehood argues it was a real, and missed, possibility — with echoes in today's sovereignty debates. Out now, EAS 24.3: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

Fauci's Fifth Amendment fight has an unlikely ancestor: Plymouth puritans. In 1642, William Bradford asked three ministers if colonists could be forced to confess under oath. Their answers seeded a right that's shaped SCOTUS rulings ever since. tinyurl.com/y2hdjpck

Are you planning to attend the Omohundro Institute’s "For 2026: New Republic, New Worlds" Conference, hosted in Williamsburg, VA on Oct. 23-24, 2026. If so, apply to be a conference reporter for EAS: Misc: tinyurl.com/87xn8afk

In case you missed it: Elena Rotzokou's new essay reads The Sugar-Cane (1764) through its botany — how the poem's plant management naturalizes plantation "health" while its own logic keeps disclosing the coercion underneath. She names this move "biocolonial poetics." muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

In case you missed it: Everyone studies Massachusetts and Mosaic law, Israel Benporat asks why we've ignored Plymouth's. Read it here: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

In case you missed it: Elena Rotzokou on why a 1764 plantation poem is stuffed with medical footnotes — and how that "explanatory" apparatus both masks and reveals plantation violence. A great companion read to her article in Summer 2026 EAS article: https://bit.ly/4zp0SmW

In case you missed it: New issue of Early American Studies (Vol. 24.3, Summer 2026) is out now on Project MUSE — interdisciplinary work on early America before 1850, from The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

In case you missed it: The Summer 2026 issue of Early American Studies (24.3) is live — Plymouth law, Atlantic disease ecologies, a 1778 Delaware-American treaty, and enslaved women's labor on Maryland's Jesuit plantations. Full issue on Project MUSE. muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

Fauci's Fifth Amendment fight has an unlikely ancestor: Plymouth puritans. In 1642, William Bradford asked three ministers if colonists could be forced to confess under oath. Their answers seeded a right that's shaped SCOTUS rulings ever since. tinyurl.com/y2hdjpck

Did the US almost admit an Indigenous state to the union? James M. Greene's new essay on the 1778 Treaty of Fort Pitt and White Eyes's push for Delaware statehood argues it was a real, and missed, possibility — with echoes in today's sovereignty debates. Out now, EAS 24.3: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

New on EAS Miscellany: Elena Rotzokou on why a 1764 plantation poem is stuffed with medical footnotes — and how that "explanatory" apparatus both masks and reveals plantation violence. A great companion read to her article in EAS 24.3. https://bit.ly/4zp0SmW

Elena Rotzokou's new essay reads The Sugar-Cane (1764) through its botany — how the poem's plant management naturalizes plantation "health" while its own logic keeps disclosing the coercion underneath. She names this move "biocolonial poetics." Out now in EAS 24.3: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

Everyone studies Massachusetts and Mosaic law, Israel Benporat asks why we've ignored Plymouth's. His new essay traces how Bradford charted a distinct, more moderate path than Cotton's, from 1642 clergy debates to the colony's 1658 law code. Read it here: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

The Summer 2026 issue of Early American Studies (24.3) is live — Plymouth law, Atlantic disease ecologies, a 1778 Delaware-American treaty, and enslaved women's labor on Maryland's Jesuit plantations. Full issue on Project MUSE. muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

New issue of Early American Studies (Vol. 24.3, Summer 2026) is out now on Project MUSE — interdisciplinary work on early America before 1850, from The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

Heading to "For a New Republic, New Worlds" or SHA this fall? 📚 EAS Miscellany is looking for volunteer conference reporters to cover sessions and share what's happening with folks who can't be in the room. Grad students welcome. forms.gle/je69iGNCCV...

Did you visit a museum or exhibit or library? Consider sharing your adventures with us by contributing an exhibit review to EAS Miscellany and share your insights with a wider audience: tinyurl.com/5n76u2jv #AmRev #PublicHistory

For women caregivers in Revolutionary New England, healing wasn't just labor — it was survival strategy. Contributing to the "Nursing the Revolution" roundtable, Sarah Pearlman Shapiro recovers the "communities of care" women built to navigate wartime violence. https://bit.ly/4gDc48b

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration—and of the Muhlenberg family's ties to Trappe, PA. An interview Lisa Minardi & Emily Sneff unveils "Window to Revolution: PA Germans and the War for Independence" plus the newly restored Speaker's House. https://bit.ly/3QY0XMW

I know what exhibit you visited this summer... 👀 EAS Miscellany wants to hear about it! Consider contributing an exhibit review and share your insights with a wider audience: tinyurl.com/5n76u2jv #AmRev #PublicHistory

What did "overthrowing tyranny" have to do with the wet nurse? More than you'd think according to Lilith Todd. Part of the "Nursing the Revolution" roundtable, Todd traces how revolutionary language of independence was shaped by debates over who gets paid for care. https://bit.ly/4eMvBkl

Congrats to Caylin Carbonell, winner of the 2026 Gordon-Eastman-Hart Prize! Her article "Fraught Forms" reveals how indenture contracts in colonial New England were as powerful as material objects—torn, hidden, or carried—as they were as legal texts. https://bit.ly/4wSMbGC

Big news for early career historians: EAS & the Journal of the Early Republic have launched the G.E.H. Prize — $500 for the best article by an emerging scholar, alternating journals each year. First winner announced at SHEAR! https://bit.ly/4b5wYcF

Congrats to Caylin Carbonell, winner of the 2026 Gordon-Eastman-Hart Prize! Her article "Fraught Forms" reveals how indenture contracts in colonial New England were as powerful as material objects—torn, hidden, or carried—as they were as legal texts. https://bit.ly/4wSMbGC

Big news for early career historians: EAS & the Journal of the Early Republic have launched the G.E.H. Prize — $500 for the best article by an emerging scholar, alternating journals each year. First winner announced at SHEAR! https://bit.ly/4b5wYcF

Ever wonder how "all men are created equal" actually got written? Nicholas Miller reviews Princeton's new digital exhibit tracing every draft, edit & crossed-out word behind the Declaration of Independence — from Jefferson's pen to the final text. https://bit.ly/4eYyfVn

How do archives shape the story of a nation? Aaron Michael Hoggle reports from the 29th Omohundro Institute conference, where scholars & archivists debated defining "revolutionary America" for the Declaration's 250th — from keynote roundtable to plenary. https://bit.ly/3RuiP29

Before it closes for renovation in Aug 2026, catch "Revolutionary Things" at the State Museum of PA where you will find Revolution-era relics, a 7-ft carved eagle, Bicentennial art & visitor Post-its answering "What Would You Celebrate About PA Today?" Read the exhibit review: https://bit.ly/4wbDkzJ

America's 250th is resonating abroad too. Northern Irish filmmakers Steve Douds & Jane Magowan discuss their new documentaries: "Freedom Founder: Thomas McKean and the American Revolution" and "Declaration," bringing the Revolution to Irish and UK audiences. https://bit.ly/4wqj0dC

As America marks 250 years of independence, former APS Director Michelle Craig McDonald reflects on five years of preparation: the new exhibit "These Truths," featuring Paine's Common Sense and a Jefferson Declaration draft, plus a digital portal of 6,500+ documents. https://bit.ly/4y8PtH7

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration—and of the Muhlenberg family's ties to Trappe, PA. An interview Lisa Minardi & Emily Sneff unveils "Window to Revolution: PA Germans and the War for Independence" plus the newly restored Speaker's House. https://bit.ly/3QY0XMW

Happy 250th! EAS Miscellany is launching a new interview series to showcase the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of museum professionals, public historians, & librarians, as the US celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Read more here: shorturl.at/pITP4

For women caregivers in Revolutionary New England, healing wasn't just labor — it was survival strategy. Contributing to the "Nursing the Revolution" roundtable, Sarah Pearlman Shapiro recovers the "communities of care" women built to navigate wartime violence. https://bit.ly/4gDc48b

Betty Woodby, a free Black woman, ran a smallpox hospital out of her Boston home decades before the Revolution — and the city paid her for it. Elise Mitchell recovers her story in our new roundtable, "Nursing the Revolution." https://bit.ly/3SJhzbA