History Commons^™

The Heart Of American History (Book Review), Edward L. Ayers

History Faculty Publications

Review of the book, The Heart of American History by James McPherson. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1989.

The era of the Civil War and Reconstruction remains the crucible of American history, the trial that decisively defined this country and its self-perceived mission. The American people seem to recognize that fact, for no era in our history attracts the general reading public as does that between 1861 and 1877.

"Men And Measures": The Creation Of The Second Party System In New Jersey, Michael J. Birkner, Herbert Ershkowitz

History Faculty Publications

During the Jacksonian Era, politicians frequently framed election contests as choices between "men and measures." On one side, the argument ran, were politicians who cared only for the spoils of office. On the other, one found those who cared about "real" issues that mattered to voters. Voters, in this context, had a simple choice to make. [excerpt]

(Review) Meccan Trade And The Rise Of Islam, Frederick S. Paxton

History Faculty Publications

Review of Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam. By Patricia Crone. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987. viii, 300 pp. $32.50.

Byzantium: Tribute To Andreas N. Stratos, 1: History - Art And Archaeology; 2: Theology And Philology (Review), Martin Arbagi

History Faculty Publications

Review of the book Byzantium: Tribute to Andreas N. Stratos, 1: History - Art And Archaeology; 2: Theology and Philology (edited by Nia A. Stratos).

Prisons, Edward L. Ayers

History Faculty Publications

American penitentiaries developed in two distinct phases, and southern states participated in both. Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and Georgia built prisons before 1820, and between 1829 and 1842 new or newly reorganized institutions were established in Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Alabama. Only the Carolinas and Florida resisted the penitentiary before the Civil War.

Honor, Edward L. Ayers

History Faculty Publications

Southerners of the antebellum era made it clear that they subscribed to an ethic of honor, but they never specified exactly what honor meant. In large part, this was because the meaning of honor depended on its immediate context, on who claimed and who acknowledged it.

Review: 'Alexander Von Humboldt Und Die Pharmazie', John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when generalists rather than specialists and individuals rather than organizations dominated the course of scientific development, German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) stood out as a leading figure in such diverse yet interrelated fields as geography, geology, botany, medicine, and pharmacy. And despite the massive body of historical writings on Humboldt, little is known concerning his contributions to pharmacy and his relationship to the discipline's practitioners. Wolfgang-Hagen Hein ably fills this void in scholarship with his well-researched Alexander von Humboldt und die Pharmazie. The significance of this topic to the history of …

Justus Von Liebig, John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

Liebig was one of the most important chemists of the nineteenth century. In addition to pioneering experimental research that transformed the basis of modern organic chemistry, his studies on agriculture led to the development of agricultural chemistry, and his systematic processes for training students became institutionalized within the German research university.

Friedrich Wöhler, John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

Friedrich Wöhler synthesized urea in 1828 and thus first demonstrated that organic materials, heretofore believed to possess a vital force, need not be made exclusively within living organisms. He also isolated aluminum metal in 1827 and discovered the elements beryllium and yttrium.

Review Of Sentinel Of The Southern Plains: Fort Richardson And The Northwest Texas Frontier, 1866-1878, Michael L. Tate

History Faculty Publications

Slightly more than a century ago the dreaded "Comanche Moon" of each month virtually assured devastating Indian raids upon the isolated ranches of Texas' northwestern frontier. No issue raised more ire in the state legislature or produced more animosity between state and federal officials than did this. To protect these exposed settlements, the War Department established a thin line of military posts from the Red River to the Rio Grande. Anchoring the northern zone was Fort Richardson, established in 1866 with a garrison to patrol the upper Brazos River country and to turn back raiding parties of Comanches and Kiowas …

Without Help Or Hindrance: Religious Identity In American Culture By Eldon G. Ernst (Review), Jacob Dorn

History Faculty Publications

Review of the book Without Help or Hindrance: Religious Identity in American Culture by Eldon G. Ernst.

Industry, State, And Electrical Technology In The Ruhr Circa 1900, Edmund Todd

History Faculty Publications

Constructing electric power and light systems early in the twentieth century challenged existing institutional boundaries. Large-scale technological systems had a wide variety of internal components, the development of which provided new opportunities to serve more customers and wider areas. Such was the case with electricity. Deployment of electric power systems required renegotiation of institutional boundaries, as leaders of various organized bodies used new technology to promote their own interests… Around 1900 there were at least four different kinds of institutions that competed to build regional power systems in Germany: electrical manufacturers, municipal governments, county administrations, and heavy industrialists… The Ruhr …