American Studies Commons^™

Roy Crane—Pioneer Adventure Strip Cartoonist, Ray Thompson

The Courier

The newspaper comic strip was well established in the United States by World War I. It had become a part of every American's cultural background long before the Disney cartoon films of the 1930s. The George Arents Research Library for Special Collections at Syracuse University has a large collection of original drawings for comic strips. There are cartoons from the early days of the comic strip to the work of artists still drawing strips which many Americans read every day.

Some of the comic strips have extraordinary lives, continuing past their creator's lifetimes. Buzz Sawyer and his friend Roscoe Sweeney …

A Letter From The Chairman: Syracuse University Library Associates—The Second Twenty-Five Years, Henry S. Bannister

The Courier

This letter from Henry Bannister celebrates the 25th anniversary of Syracuse University Library Associates in 1979, and its publication The Courier.

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 …

The Decline Of The Written Word, William Safire

The Courier

Part of a commencement speech delivered by William Safire to the graduating class of 1978 at Syracuse University, William Safire bemoans the state of rhetoric and the written word, chastising not only the White House but society at large. He argues attention spans have steadily waned over the years, with popular culture filling the void where intellectual discourse used to exist.

Bud Fisher—Pioneer Dean Of The Comic Artists, Ray Thompson

The Courier

The George Arents Research Library for Special Collections at Syracuse University has an extensive collection of original drawings by American cartoonists. Among the most famous of these are Bud Fisher's "Mutt and Jeff."

Bud Fisher set the pattern of a new phase of visual entertainment that has endured and blossomed to this day. Everybody knows of "Mutt and Jeff" - an American institution and a synonym for "tall and short." Fisher was one of the most copied of the early cartoonists. One can trace his influence through dozens of strips created between 1910 and 1920.

Charles W. Bennett's "The Purchase Of The Von Ranke Library." A Prefatory Note, John J. Morrison

The Courier

This article tells the story of Charles Wesley Bennett, who on behalf of Syracuse University purchased the Leopold von Ranke library in 1887. Some important details of the event had recently been uncovered through the discovery of an address Bennett had written for the dedication of the von Ranke Library, which was delivered posthumously (see Additional Information to locate this address).

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.

The Place Of The Ranke Collection At Syracuse University: Some Brief Remarks, James M. Powell

The Courier

This brief article praises the efforts of Charles W. Bennett in securing the von Ranke Library (now the von Ranke Collection) for Syracuse University. It also recognizes the partners and friends of the library for the cataloging of the collection.

Library Associates 1958-1968: The Years Of Growth And Change, Elizabeth Mozley

The Courier

This article details the early history of The Courier and its support through the years by the Library Associates, written by the editor at that time, Elizabeth Mozley.

The George Arents Library Award: A Recollection, Thomas E. Bird

The Courier

Thomas E. Bird relates his submission for the George Arents Library Award in 1955, which recognized the student with the "best personal library." Bird had a personal library containing over 500 Russian history titles. He received a medal designed by famous Syracuse University professor and scultor Ivan Mestrovic, and which was inscribed by professor and poet A.E. Johnson.

Syracuse University Library Associates: The Early Years, Elizabeth Mozley

The Courier

This paper chronicles the beginning of the friends of the Syracuse Library group, founded in 1953, that went on to become the Syracuse Library Associates. The Associates gave a great deal of support to Syracuse over the years, and founded The Courier, among other accomplishments.

Library Associates: 1968-1978 Transition And Renewal, Elizabeth Mozley

The Courier

This article chronicles the Library Associates of Syracuse University in the late 1960s thtrough the late 1970s. The Library Associates supported Syracuse University, the ongoing publication The Courier, and the construction of the Bird Library during these critical years.

Carleton E. Watkins, Photographer: 1829-1916, Amy S. Doherty

The Courier

This article chronicles the life of Carleton E. Watkins, who was active during the dawn of photography in the nineteenth century. He photographed Yosemite Valley, the sequoias, and other scenery of California. Includes prints of Watkins, which are taken from the Syracuse University Watkins album.

Notes From A Cartoonist, Edward D. Kuekes

The Courier

Edward D. Kuekes, who was a Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, gives a retrospective on his career and life. Also includes reproductions of some of his cartoons, three thousand of which can be found in the Syracuse University Special Collections.

Some Observations On The Loyalist Experience: 1770-1780, Susan Abadessa

The Courier

Two hundred years after the American Revolution, the conflict is still being represented for the most part as a war between the people of the united colonies and the government of England. The Colonists who were slow to join the revolutionary cause are still regarded by many as traitors. Whether principle or personal gain led so many to remain loyal to England makes no more difference today than it did then. The English patriots among the colonists paid a hard price for their loyalty to the wrong side.

A collection of diaries and letters of the period has been given …

Ideological Conflicts In Early American Books, Clarence H. Faust

The Courier

The following is an address given by Dr. Clarence H. Faust at the 1957 Syracuse University Scholastic Achievement Dinner. When this article was written almost twenty years later, during the celebration of the bicentennial anniversary, it seems pertinent that the conflicts inherent in the American expression of democracy were so clearly outlined by the late Dr. Faust.

A Delayed Discovery, June Potash

The Courier

June Potash details the story of her discovery of a previously unknown calling cards and letters, including one to Maunsell Field signed by Abraham Lincoln, found after searching a house she purchased in Cazenovia, New York.

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 …

From The Collector's Library: Tales From A Village Bookshop, Roderick Benton

The Courier

Another in the Courier's "From the Collector's Library" series, this article relates the history of the Wolcott Shop in Skaneateles, which sold rare books to famous collectors for years. Many of the rare books sought out had to do with Syracusan history, or were first editions of famous New York authors. The store had a certain grace and manner that is today exceedingly rare.

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.

Samuel Hopkins Adams, His Novel, Revelry, And The Reputation Of Warren G. Harding, Robert W. Coren

The Courier

In November 1926, Samuel Hopkins Adams's novel of Washington politics, Revelry, appeared. Since its central character is an American President easily identifiable as the late Warren G. Harding, it created a great stir. Adams's characterization of Harding was sympathetic, but also uncomplimentary, suggesting several negative personal attributes. A controversy over the appropriateness of Adams's behavior ensued. In the press, Adams was either lauded for telling the truth about Harding or condemned for his bad taste in maligning the President, who died in 1923.

Papers of Samuel Hopkins Adams preserved in the Bird Library of Syracuse University, reveal that the author …

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.

The Westcotts And David Harum, Richard G. Case

The Courier

In the 1890's, the Westcotts lived at 826 James Street, Syracuse. The man of the house was an occasional clerk, banker, and stock broker who worked for the Syracuse Water Commission. When he died, the obituary writer of a Syracuse newspaper described Edward Noyes Westcott as a "clerk," and added, "Mr Westcott was facile with a pen but never indulged himself in writing to any great extent."

Today, few of us recognize the name Edward Noyes Westcott, although we probably know the book he wrote, David Harum, A Story of American Life, which is, by almost any standard, fairly called …

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 …

The Modernity Of Stephen Crane's Poetry: A Centennial Tribute, Walter Sutton

The Courier

A hundred years have passed since the birth of Stephen Crane and eighty since his casual stay at Syracuse University, where he was better known as a baseball enthusiast than as a writer of high promise. Yet his writings in prose and poetry, beginning with Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893) and The Red Badge of Courage (1895) and continuing through the brief career that ended with his tragic death in 1900, retain a distinctive contemporaneity, a vitality and freshness that have resisted the passage of years. This quality is more evident, perhaps, in his poetry, which until lately …

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 …

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 Satirical Rogue Once More: Robert Francis On Poets And Poetry, Syracuse University Library

The Courier

When "The Satirical Rogue Once More," a collection of ten roguish comments came to the hands of the Courier editors, it sparked new interest in the writer, who describes himself as "walking round and round Poetry on its pedestal and taking shots at it from every possible angle. Shots with a light gun, a water pistol, a pea shooter." This reawakened interest led directly to another look at the Robert Francis Papers, presented to the University by Mr. Francis from 1967 to 1969, in the manuscript collection of the George Arents Research Library.

"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.