Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture

Uncommon Sense—the blog

Change and Continuity

· September 27th, 2022 · No Comments

by Catherine E. Kelly Historians are notorious for sussing out the relationship between change and continuity, trying to gauge which is predominant at any given moment. In fact, both are typically in play. Certainly, that’s the case with new transitions for the OI’s staff.  From one perspective, we have change, and an awful lot of… Read More »

BFW: Experiences of Revolution, Part 2: Disruptions in Yorktown

· July 5th, 2022 · 1 Comment

Each year, the Ben Franklin’s World team produces a special episode for the Fourth of July holiday. This year, we’re going even further, sharing two themed episodes that explore how ordinary Americans experienced the Revolutionary War. On Tuesday, July 5, the second of those episodes—“Experiences of Revolution, Part 2: Disruptions in Yorktown,” episode 333—debuts wherever… Read More »

BFW: Experiences of Revolution, Part 1: Occupied Philadelphia

· June 28th, 2022 · 1 Comment

Each year, the Ben Franklin’s World team produces a special episode for the Fourth of July holiday. This year, we’re going even further, sharing two themed episodes that explore how ordinary Americans experienced the Revolutionary War. On Tuesday, June 28, the first of those episodes—“Experiences of Revolution, Part 1: Occupied Philadelphia,” episode 332—debuts wherever you… Read More »

Can historians make archival discoveries?

· May 18th, 2022 · No Comments

By Robert Lee Robert Lee is an Assistant Professor of American History and Fellow of Selwyn College at the University of Cambridge and the author of “‘A Better View of the Country’: A Missouri Settlement Map” in Sources and Interpretations published in the January 2022 issue of the William and Mary Quarterly. A decade ago,… Read More »

Public Commissions for the 250th: What You Need to Know

· April 11th, 2022 · No Comments

In 2026 the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence—the Semiquincentennial. It would be the understatement of two-and-a-half centuries to suggest that it will likely be a busy year for the history profession across the nation and even internationally. Of course, history professionals are not the only people interested in how to… Read More »