United States History Commons^™

George Engelmann’S Barometer: Measuring Civil War America From St. Louis, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

In the Civil War Era, German-American botanist George Engelmann regularly measured St. Louis's pressure and temperature--both literally, as a scientist, and figuratively, in his observations on the nation's politics. This essay uses this doubling to explore the place of St. Louis within Civil War America.

More Than Just A Prize: The Civil War And The West, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

How to unify the insights of the history of the Civil War Era and the study of the American West.

How Research Blogging Improves Urban History, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

This article explains why researchers should maintain a research blog for a project in development, especially if it is an urban-history or preservation issue.

Dred Scott Vs. The Dred Scott Case: History And Memory Of A Signal Moment In American Slavery, 1857-2007, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

The Dred Scott Case centered on the Scott family—Dred and Harriet, and their daughters Eliza and Lizzie—but in the recorded history, after March 6, 1857 the Scotts suddenly fade, as if their lives ended that day in the courthouse. They did not. Elsewhere I have examined how the Dred Scott decision catalyzed the transformation of St. Louis politics, turning Missouri toward gradual emancipation just as the South’s proslavery advocates were declaring victory. And I have described how the Scotts’ lives were recovered to memory through the actions spearheaded by their descendents. Here I chronicle how the legacies of the Dred …

Review Of Empire’S Edge: American Society In Nome, Alaska 1898-1934 By Preston Jones Pacific Historical Review 77.2 (May 2008), 330-332., Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

Libraries In Public Before The Age Of Public Libraries: Interpreting The Furnishings And Design Of Athenaeums And Other ‘Social Libraries,’ 1800-1860, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson

Before public libraries became common in the United States, both elite and striving men sought out social libraries to read business newspapers, attend lectures, appreciate art and good company, and generally learn or relish in respectability. For single male clerks living in rented rooms, the library served as a crucial "third place," away from home and work, where sociability and education could flourish. This chapter describes how elements of the private library, the parlor, and the bookstore informed the furnishing and design of the social library. It reveals how the spaces were intended to be utilized--and what legacies remained for …

Ansel Adams’S Eucalyptus Tree, Fort Ross: Nature, Photography, And The Search For California, Adam Arenson

Adam Arenson