American Studies Commons^™

How Civility Works, Keith Bybee

Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media at Syracuse University

Is civility dead? Americans ask this question every election season, but their concern is hardly limited to political campaigns. Doubts about civility regularly arise in just about every aspect of American public life. Rudeness runs rampant. Our news media is saturated with aggressive bluster and vitriol. Our digital platforms teem with expressions of disrespect and trolls. Reflecting these conditions, surveys show that a significant majority of Americans believe we are living in an age of unusual anger and discord. Everywhere we look, there seems to be conflict and hostility, with shared respect and consideration nowhere to be found. In a …

The Continuing Exodus: The Synagogue And Jewish Urban Migration, Samuel D. Gruber

Religion - All Scholarship

Catalog essay in Silent Witnesses: Migration Stories Through Synagogues Transformed, Rebuilt or Abandoned (Farmington Hills, MI, 2012) that deals with Jewish settlement and migration in American cities (especially New York, Boston and Cleveland) and the religious and community buildings erected and left behind in the process.

Polish Influence On American Synagogue Architecture, Samuel D. Gruber

Religion - All Scholarship

Hundreds of thousands of Jews from Poland came to America after 1880. Many built synagogues with details recalling synagogues in their homeland. Immigrant artisans brought motifs and methods of Poland. Many of these synagogues were small, so the relationship to Polish art was on the inside in the painted and carved decoration. Established architects also had access to Polish synagogues as sources. With publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901-06) images of Polish synagogues, such as the Warsaw’s Tlomackie Street Synagogue, became part of many Jewish libraries. More Polish influence came in the 1950s. Most architects were building modern synagogues, …

The Beggar's Opera And Its Criminal Law Context, Ian Gallacher

College of Law - Faculty Scholarship

This chapter seeks to take the characters and situations of Gay's The Beggar's Opera and consider how closely the play's portrayal matches the historical record. Although the view offered by the play is a restricted one, the chapter concludes that the picture it offers is as close to historical reality as any other document from the period.

Intentional Omissions From The Published Civil War Diaries Of Admiral John A. Dahlgren, Robert J. Schneller Jr.

The Courier

This article explains the events surrounding the publication of the biography of John A. Dahlgren, collected and penned by his wife Marguerite. The article was researched with the aid of the John A. Dahlgren Papers at the Syracuse University Special Collection. Marguerite had motives to exalt her husband's life: he had become an unpopular and controversial figure despite his accomplishments, and Marguerite was also in the process of petitioning Congress, seeking to receive royalties for her husband's military inventions.

An Unpublished Reminiscence Of James Fenimore Cooper, Constantine Evans

The Courier

A reminiscence of James Fenimore Cooper, written in 1889, lies among the papers of William Mather (1802-1890) in the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University. It is written in pencil on two sheets of paper, one of which is the blank back of a Herkimer County newspaper supplement of 1889. Each sheet is folded to form a sort of booklet. Mather's text, as it stands, is disjointed and marred by occasionally confused syntax, illegible words, and repetitions. A series of false starts, of beginnings not decided upon, occurs before something of a narrative coherence is achieved. Material obviously intended …

James Fenimore Cooper: Young Man To Author, Constantine Evans

The Courier

This article provides a biographical look at the American author James Fenimore Cooper. It traces his roots from his youth in Cooperstown—named after his father William—to his ill-timed naval career, and on to his time as a self-conscious novelist.

Alistair Cooke: A Response To Granville Hicks' I Like America, Kathleen Manwaring

The Courier

Written at the urging of his friend Louis Birk, managing editor of Modern Age Books, I Like America was Granville Hicks' attempt to present to a middle-class audience "the official line of the Communist Party in the Popular Front period". Published when the slogan 'Communism is Twentieth-Century Americanism' identified the interests of the mass of the American population, which was suffering from the Depression and the inadequate response of the New Deal for relief, with the aims of the Party, the book was later described by Hicks as "a venture in propaganda". The Granville Hicks Papers in the George Arents …

"A Citizen Of No Mean City": Jermain W. Loguen And The Antislavery Reputation Of Syracuse, Milton Charles Sernett

The Courier

This article describes the life and struggles of Jermain W. Loguen (originally named Jarm Logue), born a slave, who escaped to Syracuse, New York. Once in Syracuse, he became active in the Underground Railroad, the abolition movement, and even entered politics as a public speaker. His letters can be found in the Syracuse University Special Collections, as part of the Gerrit Smith papers. Smith was also a leading abolitionist who corresponded with major figures in the antislavery movement and influential freed slaves such as Frederick Douglass.

The Albert Schweitzer Papers At Syracuse University, Ursula Berkling

The Courier

This article highlights some of the documents contained in the Albert Schweitzer Papers located in the Syrcause University Special Collections. They contain a variety of materials, such as notebooks, letters, manuscripts, miscellanea, and books from Schweitzer's library. The article gives a synopsis of each of these categories, and includes some photos of Schweitzer's life.

Common Cause: The Antislavery Alliance Of Gerrit Smith And Beriah Green, Milton C. Sernett

The Courier

The Gerrit Smith Papers in the manuscript collections of the George Arents Research Library at Syracuse University are an indispensable resource for scholars interested in American social reform. Given to the University in 1928 by Gerrit Smith Miller, a grandson, the col

lection reveals that the abolition of slavery dominated the Madison County philanthropist's reform interests from the mid-1830s to the Civil War. Of Gerrit Smith's numerous antislavery correspondents, including such prominent reformers as William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and Theodore Dwight Weld, none maintained a more regular and extensive epistolary relationship than Beriah Green, upstate New York's most radical …

The Stephen Crane Collection At Syracuse University, Edward Lyon

The Courier

This article gives a general overview of the items contained in the Stephen Crane collections at the Syracuse University Libraries. The article divides the collection into letters, manuscripts, presentation inscriptions and annotations, books from Crane's library, and memorabilia. A large portion of the collection is drawn from the Schoberlin collection.

Schoberlin's Annotated Copy Of War Is Kind, Donald P. Vanouse

The Courier

This article explains the controversy that surrounds one of the copies (the Schoberlin copy to be exact) of War Is Kind by Stephen Crane that is contained in Syracuse University's Special Collections. Inaccurate dates, strange annotations, and odd formatting are some of the features that make the copy unique.

Searching For Stephen Crane: The Schoberlin Collection, James B. Colvert

The Courier

This article meticulously recounts the building of the Schoberlin collection, which sought to gather material written by the American novelist Stephen Crane. The task was quite formidable, as competing collectors tried to beat each other to primary sources. The article also points out facts and discrepencies that the sources contain, giving a complex but interesting story about the ill-fated author.

New Stephen Crane Letters In The Schoberlin Collection, Paul Sorrentino, Stanley Wertheim

The Courier

This article recreates several letters written by American novelist Stephen Crane, unique to the Schoberlin Collection. By themselves the letters and inscriptions that are reproduced here do not form a coherent narrative; consequently, brief headnotes and footnotes supply the reader with sufficient detail to understand the context of each document.

Newly Discovered Writings Of Mary Helen Peck Crane And Agnes Elizabeth Crane, Paul Sorrentino

The Courier

Although several members of Stephen Crane's immediate family were writers, scholars know little about their work. Thomas A. Gullason

published writings by Crane's parents and brother Jonathan Townley, but other items remain to be studied and possibly printed. Fortunately, Melvin H. Schoberlin preserved holographs and transcripts of documents by Crane's sister, Agnes, and mother, Mary Helen, that further reveal the family's interest in writing. Because the transcripts, which Schoberlin copied from materials once owned by Crane's niece Edith, are unique to the Schoberlin Collection, researchers cannot verify their accuracy. As scholars examine the Collection, though, they will find that he …

The "Lost" Newspaper Writings Of Stephen Crane, Thomas A. Gullason

The Courier

This article details some of the little-known articles written by Stephen Crane when he was a journalist. He often wrote stories about the local New York society that got him fired from several papers, but served him in creating material for his novels, especially Maggie. The stories are infused with Crane's wit and uncanny sense of irony.

Granville Hicks And The Small Town, Leah Levenson, Jerry Natterstad

The Courier

This article tells the story of Granville Hicks' life, especially his life during the 1940s, revealed through journals that are now held in Syracuse University's Special Collections. The author was famously a Marxist critic and member of the Communist party during the 1930s, before defecting in 1939 due to the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact. He then somewhat retreated from intellectual life to become a member of a small community in Grafton, New York, closer to his rural upbringing. He struggled to try to better the small community in areas of civic institutions and racial prejudice, seeing Grafton as a microcosm of …

The "Black Dream" Of Gerrit Smith, New York Abolitionist, John R. Mckivigan, Madeleine Leveille

The Courier

This article tells the story of Gerrit Smith, a New York abolitionist who had been loosely linked to the raid on Haper's Ferry by John Brown. Shortly after the insurrection Smith was committed to an insane asylum by his family, and the scandal faded after John Brown's execution. Through their research in the Syracuse University Special Collections, the authors have uncovered much evidence affirming the financial link between Smith and John Brown. The authors also determined that the mental state of Smith seemed rather genuine, and he might have suffered from bipolar disorder. The fallout of the Smith scandal received …

Reluctant Warriors And The Federalist Resurgence In New York, 1808-1815, Harvey Strum

The Courier

Harvey Strum details the tumultuous political environment in New York in the events leading up to and during the War of 1812. The main struggle was between the dominant Republican party, and a resurgent Federalist party. The Republicans wanted war with Britain and an embargo on trade with Canada, while the Federalists wanted to preserve the trade that was so crucial to the economic well-being of New York. This led to clashes between central New York residents breaking the embargo and the local militia. The Federalist resurgance was a temporary interruption of the dominance of the Republican Party in New …

An Address By Professor C.W. Bennett, Read At The Dedication Of The New Library At Syracuse University, Charles W. Bennett

The Courier

This article is adapted from an address written by Charles W. Bennett for the dedication of the Leopold von Ranke Library at Syracuse University in 1889. The address was delivered posthumously at the dedication. Bennett's address details the immeasurable contributions of Leopold von Ranke in the field of History, who developed the modern academic field of History in Berlin in the nineteenth century. The von Ranke collection can today be found at Syracuse University.

From Syracuse To Keuka, Mostly By Canoe, In 1907: Selections From Fred R. Lear's "Our Canoe Trip", Syracuse University

The Courier

In the summer of 1907 Syracuse University professor of Architecture Fred R. Lear (1882-1950) undertook a hundred-mile canoe trip with his wife. This canoe journey had been taken by the Lears once before, not long after their marriage in the summer of 1906. Following the repeat of the trip in 1907, Fred Lear wrote a memoir of it, hand-lettering his text onto forty-two pages and illustrating it with tipped-in snapshots. His narrative was made for the fun of it and for the entertainment of family and friends, though it now also assumes significance as a unique document of social and …

A Retrospect Of "Western" Travel: 1834-1836, Elise Linn Prentis

The Courier

In August, 1834, a most extraordinary and yet, in some ways, quite ordinary Englishwoman named Harriet Martineau set sail for the United States where she intended to travel for two years. Thirty-two years old and already famous on both sides of the Atlantic, she was, in her own phrase, "Lafayetted" wherever she went. Famous statesmen hastened to calion her, six carriages were placed at her disposal, hostesses vied for her presence at social events. But one year later, in August of 1835, a spontaneous and courageous action on her part caused the doors which had been open to her to …

From The Collector's Library: Joel Munsell, Printer And Antiquarian In Albany, New York, Henry S. Bannister

The Courier

Joel Munsell was a true artist and craftsman. His love for fine printing and history became a motivating force in his work. It also kept him from becoming a wealthy man. His real riches are to be found in the fine historical books that came from his press and in the traditions he handed down to his sons.

Joel Munsell's career was long and brought him much recognition, respect and honor and ended only with his death on June 15, 1880.

Edmund B. Chaffee And The Labor Temple, Dugald Chaffee

The Courier

The following article by Dr. Chaffee's son combines a brief account of Dr. Chaffee's Labor Temple years with his son's remembrance ofhim as both man and father.

Asa Eastwood And His Diaries, 1806-1870, Faye Dudden

The Courier

Like so many men of his day, Asa Eastwood kept a diary. The four volumes he filled from 1806 to 1870 delineate nineteenth century customs, events and patterns of living and are now available for research in the Asa Eastwood Papers at Syracuse University, along with small amounts of his correspondence and legal records. Eastwood was alert to events of historical importance, and episodes such as the 1807 New York-to-Albany voyage of Fulton's Clermont or John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 did not escape mention in his diaries. Yet his entries are perhaps less significant for the passing …

"I Am Satisfied With What I Have Done": Collis P. Huntington, 19th Century Entrepreneur, Alice M. Vestal

The Courier

The Collis P. Huntington Papers in the George Arents Research Library form one of more than twenty significant collections in the area of transportation. They are equally important as a study of a colorful period in American history and particularly of an extraordinary man in the setting of that period.

Belva Ann Lockwood, Feminist Lawyer, Sylvia G. L. Dannett

The Courier

Mrs. Dannett has been pursuing research in the University Archives on Belva Ann Lockwood, 1857 graduate of Genesee College and recipient of a master's degree in 1872 and an honorary LL.D. in 1909 from Syracuse University.

Author, lecturer and historian, Mrs. Dannett is an authority on certain phases of the Civil War. Among her publications are two novels, five biographies and histories for both youth and adults, and many articles. Her writings show a special interest in the character and accomplishment of women throughout American history.

The D.L. & W. — A Nostalgic Glimpse, Syracuse University Library

The Courier

The records of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company form one of more than twenty transportation collections in the George Arents Research Library, making Syracuse University a major research center for the study of American transportation. The corporate records, which occupy more than 1800 linear feet of shelf space, were acquired by the University in 1964 from the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Company acting under the authority of and with approval of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The materials were carefully selected by University staff in consultation with railroad officials, from documents and records formerly located in New York City; Hoboken and …

Dorothy Thompson's Role In Sinclair Lewis' Break With Harcourt, Brace, Helen B. Petrullo

The Courier

In this article, Helen B. Petrullo utilizes several documents in the Dorothy Thompson Papers to shed new light on the break of her husband Sinclair Lewis with publisher Harcourt, Brace. It was previously thought the break was impulsive, but the documents reveal Dorothy Thompson had a significant influence on Sinclair Lewis' decision. Also describes the relationship between author and publisher in the twentieth century.