History Commons^™

Experience Is Proof: Texts Versus Observation In Eighteenth-Century Italy, Debra Glasberg Gail

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

The late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries marked a significant period in the transformation of scientific scholarship. The Latin philosophical tradition’s dominance waned as empirical methods gained credence. University educated men of science began to trust information actually seen and tested more than knowledge contained in books, especially ancient ones. The larger implications of this transformation -- the questioning of the authority of the written word of the Bible and the accompanying narrative of the origins of the universe -- have received significant scholarly attention. The smaller shifts in the way individuals weighed textual and empirical sources of authority, however, …

Jewish Space And Spiritual Supremacy In Eighteenth-Century Italy, David Sclar

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

This primary text, dated 11 October 1720, is taken from a pinkas belonging to the Jewish community of Padua. It concerns the establishment of an eruv hatserot, a boundary covering most of the city in which Jews would be permitted to carry possessions on the Sabbath. References to contemporary eruvin ordinarily appear in responsa literature. Perhaps uniquely, this document provides communal context for the construction of the Padua eruv. In so doing, it sheds light on the social and religious lives of Italian Jewry in the first half of the eighteenth century.

The document’s appearance as a copied …

Striking A Pietist Chord: Isaac Wetzlar’S Proposal For The Improvement Of Jewish Society, Rebekka Voß

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

In 1748/49, Isaac Wetzlar of Celle in Northern Germany completed Libes Briv (Love Letter), a Yiddish proposal for the improvement of Jewish society. In order to initiate exploration of the complex relationship between Central European Judaism and eighteenth-century Pietism selected sources are discussed that concentrate on the links between Libes briv and the contours of German Pietism. These sources demonstrate that Isaac Wetzlar’s Love Letter (edited and translated into English by M. Faierstein) substantially engages the concepts and initiatives encompassed by Pietist missionary efforts to Jews. The diaries of two travelling missionaries from the Institutum Judaicum in Halle who came …

Johan Kemper's (Moses Aaron's) Humble Account: A Rabbi Between Sabbateanism And Christianity, Níels Eggerz

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

Moses Aaron of Krakow, a Sabbatean rabbi, who would later call himself Johan Kemper, chose to convert to Christianity in the summer of 1696. When his mentor, the Lutheran cleric Johann Friedrich Heunisch, brought his mentee's wish before the council of the Free Imperial City of Schweinfurt, Kemper was asked to submit the reasons for his request together with a short autobiography in written form. The outcome was his Humble Account, which appeared in print shorty after Kemper was baptized. A close analysis of Kemper's Humble Account reveals a very subtle yet pronounced anti-Jewish narrative which makes use of …

The Religious Condition Of German Jewries In The First Half Of The 18th Century. Rural And Urban Communities In Comparison, Avi Siluk

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

This presentation focuses on Jewish attitudes towards non-Jews in the first half of the 18^th century as depicted in the travelling journals of Pietist missionaries. If up to that point, interreligious encounter had been a field of interaction between Jewish and Christian scholars, in the 18^th century the missionaries began to engage in conversations on faith with Jews of all social strata, genders, ages and educational backgrounds. Such interactions yielded many different forms of individual and communal Jewish reactions. Examining cases of missionary encounters with the large urban Jewry of Frankfurt (Main) and the smaller, rural kehilah of …

Illicit Sex And Law In Early-Modern Italian Ghettos, Federica Francesconi

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

This presentation explores the changes of attitudes toward illicit sexual relations within the ghetto societies that occurred in Italy between the late seventeenth century and the middle of the eighteenth century, with a specific focus on young Jewish maidservants. It analyzes how Italian Jewish leadership, both lay and rabbinical, acted in regard to the vicissitudes of Jewish women who faced seduction, sexual exploitation, and pregnancy under the Jewish roof. This analysis uses archival sources from both Jewish courts and civic magistracies in the cities of Venice, Mantua, and Modena during the years 1691-1751. Through a combination of paternalism, cohesiveness, innovation, …

Emw 2015: Continuity And Change In The Jewish Communities Of The Early Eighteenth Century, The Ohio State University

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

Volume 12: Continuity and Change in the Jewish Communities of the Early Eighteenth Century, Ohio State University, Columbus, August 17-19, 2015

The 2015 Early Modern Workshop on “Continuity and Change in the Jewish Communities in the Early Eighteenth Century” was held at Ohio State University.

Between the late seventeenth century and the middle of the eighteenth century, much of European Jewry (and elements within Ottoman Jewry as well) appear to have shifted from a generally traditional and religious way of life to a way of life that embraced non-traditional and/or non-halakhic practices and fashions. There were no great intellectual or …

The Sabbatean Who Devoured His Son: The Emden-Eibeschütz Controversy And Cannibalism, Shai Alleson-Gerberg

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

At a time when cannibalism captured European imagination and was used as effective propaganda against the ‘other’ within or elsewhere, as well as a test case for the concept of Natural Law, it is hardly surprising to discover similar rhetoric in internal Jewish discourse of the early modern era. R. Jacob Emden’s halachic writing on the subject of modern medicine and his tenacious battle against Sabbateanism, provide illuminating examples of the use of cannibalistic imagery, as this had crystalised in colonial literature from the new world and in religious polemics on the Eucharist. Emden’s halachic position on the question ‘is …

The End Of Jewish Democracy In 18th Century Prague, Joshua Teplitsky

Early Modern Workshop: Resources in Jewish History

One intriguing register for considering continuities and changes in Jewish life in the early eighteenth century is the constitution of the autonomous Jewish community, or kehillah. This institution of Jewish self-government was formed at the nexus of the imposition of governments, on the one hand, and Jewish collective investment in the legitimacy and utility of this form of association, on the other..

Although Jewish communal leadership appears to have been determined by elections in the earlier centuries of this period, by the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries an increasing trend towards permanent ruling oligarchies can be discerned. A standing patriciate …

Molasses And Marshmallow: Food And Trading In New England Account Books, Pleun Bouricius, Mike Dyer, Lenora Robinson

Massachusetts History Conference

Local archivist and historian Lenora Robinson and maritime historian Mike Dyer will lead participants in exploring the workings of eighteenth-and nineteenth-century account books from local general stores and merchants to long distance trade to help us understand what might be on the table in households and how it got there. A primer in using account books for programming – useful and fun!

Moderator:

• Pleun Bouricius, Director of Grants & Programs, Mass Humanities

Presenters:

• Mike Dyer, Senior Maritime Historian, New Bedford Whaling Museum
• Lenora Robinson, Archival Librarian, New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

A People’S History Of The Hilltop (Making Public Private Lives), Shawn Jenkins

TAC Talks

Tacoma’s Hilltop Neighborhood has been home to many immigrants and migrants for over 150 years. Anyone seeking information concerning this historical neighborhood can obtain who founded it, how it was constructed, and those accredited with its growth and development. Many different ethnic groups have been recognized for their influences in this area; making this the story told publicly.

Yet one ethnic group has systematically been left out of most historical accounts when discussing the Hilltop. Black Americans have been living on the Hilltop for some 60 years working, raising families, and contributing to the social fabric. What I have learned …

The Medieval Screen: A Work In Progress, Julie Carmen

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

The purpose is to design a medieval screen to answer the question: "Will people be inspired to study history and fiber art when presented with colorful embroidered patches displayed on a screen?" The screen project is a work in progress I am creating to display images from a thirteenth century manuscript in a different art medium to induce inspiration and curiosity about this period of time. The poster will describe the work in progress, the different materials used to create a medieval screen, and how the screen has developed over fifteen years. It will discuss the importance of the codices, …

A Howl Of Free Expression: The 1957 Howl Obscenity Trial And Sexual Liberation, Jamie L. Rehlaender

Young Historians Conference

The 1957 “Howl” obscenity trial, which covered the constitutionality of utilizing obscene words in literature, was largely influential in the development of literary free expression in America. This case centered on Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems, a work which represented the ideals and culture of the literarily experimental and sexually promiscuous Beat Generation. The expansion of free expression can be discerned through the tolerance of these sexual implications in literature, which is documented throughout the history of sexual suppression in past censorship cases. The victory of the “Howl” obscenity trial was essential for liberating the use of sexual …

The Roman Army: Strategy, Tactics, And Innovation, Weiyi Zhou

Young Historians Conference

The Roman Empire at its peak covered millions of square miles of ground, encompassing a vast variety of cultures of people. In order to ensure continued peace and stability in such a mammoth multiethnic empire, the Roman Army was forced to engage and repel a variety of foreign opponents utilizing different tactics across a wide spectrum of terrain, from Macedonian phalanxes on flat plains to Gallic barbarian hordes on forested ground. Simultaneously, the Roman Army also had to avoid compromising internal stability and maintain a force capable of putting down a large range of insurrectionist forces. Even today, with the …

Rationalism And The Understanding Of Irrationality, Sophie Hamilton

Young Historians Conference

The Scientific Revolution is an era heavily scrutinized by historians and history teachers alike; the works of Francis Bacon, Andreas Vesalius, and Isaac Newton are included in nearly every textbook and course covering the Enlightenment era. But many people don’t realize that the scientific discoveries of the Enlightenment were not limited to mathematics, astronomy, and anatomy; a revolution in psychiatry was also occurring.

"Rationalism and the Understanding of Irrationality" explores how the rationalist movement in the Enlightenment, which emphasized the use of reason and individualism, enabled leaders in the mental health industry to raise living standards and redefine treatment for …

Celtic Romanization: Cultural Assimilation Or Cultural Exchange?, Shawn Lee

Young Historians Conference

The rise of the Roman Empire created not only a military but also a cultural hegemony over colonized populations. While this interaction is often portrayed as a primarily unidirectional process of cultural assimilation, this may not be the case for Celtic peoples following their colonization in the mid first century BC. An examination of Roman perception of Celtic culture, perceived compatibility of Celtic culture, and mixed Romano-Celtic culture indicates that the cultural exchange between Romans and Celts was bi-directional.

Inevitable Rebellion: Jacobite Risings And The Union Of 1707, Lindsay E. Swanson

Young Historians Conference

In the beginning of the 18th century, the landscape of Europe was changed with the proposal of legislation to unite Scotland and England. While the Union of 1707 served as an important starting point in the English quest for unification, it was not powerful enough to truly prevent insurgency among Scottish natives. This paper explores the problems associated with and Scottish opposition to the Union of 1707, and the measures it took to truly join the two nations under the name Great Britain. It also highlights the endurance of a Scottish identity, examining resistance to empires and questioning the longevity …

The Limits Of Tolerance: The Equal Treatment Act And Discrimination In The Netherlands, Dylan E. Wells

Young Historians Conference

The Netherlands has a reputation for being one of the most liberal and accepting nations in the world. However, when analyzing the traditions, politics, education, and other aspects of everyday life in the country, a long-lasting history of racism and prejudice is revealed. This paper explores the possible reasons for inequality in the Netherlands, and the Equal Treatment Act of 1994, the first explicit Dutch anti-discrimination legislation. This paper will discuss the potential reasons why the Equal Treatment Act ultimately failed to curb bias based on race, ethnicity, and religion—challenges still faced by many in the Netherlands today, twenty years …

The Dichotomy Of Pudicitia, Amber L. Harvey

Young Historians Conference

The lives of women in the Roman Republic were incredibly restricted and controlled by their male counterparts, yet key counters to this restriction are often overlooked, mainly that of a woman’s pudicitia. Pudicitia was a defining moral quality that encompassed state, familial, sexual, and other duties, a woman held in society. These qualities, are shown in the mythical Rape of the Sabines, and allow female participation in the Conflict of the Orders and the defiance of the Vestal Virgins. These allowances are countered by aspects of pudicitia that restricted rights and participation, ultimately yielding a system that paradoxically encouraged …

The Irish Hunger And Its Alignments With The 1948 Genocide Convention, Larissa M. Banitt

Young Historians Conference

The Irish Hunger of the mid nineteenth century began when a potato blight ruined most of Ireland's crop. While this was indeed a natural crisis, Britain's ineffective response exacerbated the sugaring the Irish endured. Widespread discrimination of the Irish, economic and moral ideologies all contributed to the British government's reaction to the famine. This paper evaluates how British adherence to these ideologies increased Irish suffering and aligns with the definition of genocide as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention

U.S. Supported Corporations And Modern Imperialism: America's Takeover Of Hawaii, Lance D. Crafton

Young Historians Conference

In 1893, the constitutional monarchy of Hawaii was overthrown and replaced with a government backed by the United States, opening the door for America to claim Hawaii as a territory and later annex it as the 50^th state. The story of Hawaii illuminates the extent of U.S. influence abroad and reveals the true nature of how America began its 20th century imperialism. This paper explores the takeover of the islands as well as various American reactions to it, uncovering the social, political, and economic factors that shaped Hawaii’s future.

Christianity's Influence On Attitudes Toward Homosexuality In The Roman Empire, Jennie Jiang

Young Historians Conference

Attitudes towards sexuality are deeply influenced by the intricate interplay between religion and social values. How do polytheistic and monotheistic societies differ in how they view sexuality? In the pre-Christian days of the early Roman Empire, polytheism fostered a remarkable tolerance toward both same-sex relations and various expressions of sexuality, as evident in social expectations, literature, and written law. In contrast, a closer examination of the Roman Empire’s transition from a polytheistic to Christian society in the 4^th and 5^th centuries reveals that the rise of Christianity corresponded with, and likely contributed to, increasingly strict attitudes towards homosexuality.

Livia's Power In Ancient Rome, Tori L. Allen

Young Historians Conference

When one thinks of the ancient Roman heroes, Caesar and Augustus come to mind. We picture Roman men on the front lines in culture and society, while the women are kept back and oppressed. And while women definitely faced obstacles in ancient Rome, it didn't stop them from making an impact. This paper argues that Livia, wife of Roman emperor Augustus, was able to secretly manipulate politics in Rome as a mother and a wife, as seen in honorific statues, Ovid's poetry, and honorific titles.

The Enigma Of The Spartan Woman, Jalena M. Post

Young Historians Conference

Active in both social and economic spheres, Spartan women possessed much more mobility than their counterparts in Athens. In the areas of education, the arts, land ownership, marriage, and family life, the women of Sparta enjoyed a large amount of sovereignty when compared to other ancient societies. The absence of Spartan men during almost constant times of war necessitated women taking on more responsibility than they would have otherwise, but to what extent? This paper strives to characterize the unique role of the women of Sparta during the classical period of Greek history, especially as in contrast to their Athenian …

Power Structure, Nathaniel Klein

Young Historians Conference

By today's standards morally reprehensible subjects are difficult to examine, however, from a historical perspective topics such as infanticide offer insight into individual behavior, therefore reflecting societal norms. This paper explores the practice of infanticide used during the course of the 7th century BCE to reinforce the power structures of the period. Infanticide was far more than a simple way to dispose of unwanted offspring; it was a tool that was used by ancient Greek societies to maintain systems of control and promote social values upon which society depended.

25th Annual Young Historians Conference, Portland State University History Department, Portland State University Challenge Program

Young Historians Conference

This is the 2015 Young Historians Conference schedule and abstracts.

The Origins And Implications Of Private Policing In America: The Nineteenth Century Through The Present, Lisa Demarais

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

You Throw Like A Girl, Alison Dees

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The Aftermath Of The Temple Bombing: A Catalyst For Social Change During The Civil Rights Movement In The Deep South, Alaina D'Anzi, Sara Maxi Howel

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

America's Pastime: Baseball's Effect On Morale During World War Ii, Preston Phillips

Undergraduate Research Conference

Baseball is a game of tradition. Baseball fans lineup outside of the gates prior to batting practice and wait to gain entrance. When they get inside, the smell of hot dogs and stadium mustard greets them. They proceed to their seats and await the first pitch and when that pitch is thrown, all cares of the world are thrown away for two plus hours. Walter Winchell, an American journalist and broadcaster once said that the ball park becomes an island of innocent excitement in a world of wild despair.  This single statement will transform into the very lifeblood of …