Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture

Uncommon Sense—the blog

Archive for the ‘#VastEarlyAmerica’ Category

Must Early America Be Vast?

· May 2nd, 2019 · 4 Comments

by Karin Wulf Spoiler:  I think yes. But it’s complicated.  You may have seen this meme about historians, with “it’s complicated” mocked as the weak battle cry of our profession.  I would argue that there is ample demonstration, from contemporary politics to technology, that an appreciation of complexity is newly resurgent.  And so it is… Read More »

Accessing the Past: Why Paleography Skills Still Matter

· March 21st, 2019 · 3 Comments

Learn more about paleography at our first Transcribathon on Saturday, March 23, 2019, in the Ford Classroom, ground floor of Swem Library, on the campus of William & Mary. We will begin at 11:00 a.m. and continue until 4:00 p.m. Participants are welcome to drop in for an hour or to stay all afternoon. Lunch and snacks will… Read More »

Vast Early America: Three Simple Words for a Complex Reality

· February 6th, 2019 · 1 Comment

This article was originally published in the Winter 2019 issue of Humanities magazine, a publication of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Some of the images used in the article are under copyright and appear only on the NEH’s site. by Karin Wulf American history courses usually begin with the peopling of the Americas, then move on to European… Read More »

OI History: Tales from Former Apprentices, Part 8

· October 31st, 2018 · 1 Comment

OI History: Tales from Former Apprentices, Part 8 As part of our seventy-fifth anniversary, we at the Omohundro Institute continue to reflect on what makes our institution such a special place. One of those things is our Apprenticeship in Historical Editing. Today’s guest post comes from former apprentice Sean P. Harvey who is now an… Read More »

OI Books: On the Road to Germany

· August 27th, 2018 · No Comments

Today’s post is part of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Omohundro Institute by exploring the OI books that have had an impact on a scholar’s life. by John Balz I unexpectedly came across Horst Dippel’s Germany and the American Revolution, 1770-1800 last September while scrolling through the OI online catalog of publications.… Read More »

OI Books: Borderlands in View

· July 23rd, 2018 · No Comments

Today’s post is part of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Omohundro Institute by exploring the OI books that have had an impact on a scholar’s life. by Lynne Withey As a historian-turned-publisher, I love the idea of celebrating the Omohundro Institute’s 75th anniversary by celebrating its books. When I was a graduate… Read More »

OI Books: The Emergence of a Field

· July 16th, 2018 · No Comments

Today’s post is part of our series marking the 75th anniversary of the Omohundro Institute by exploring the OI books that have had an impact on a scholar’s life. by Anna Mae Duane I had just finished an exhilarating but exhausting first year at the University of Connecticut and was petrified about turning my dissertation… Read More »