Mark R. Cheathem Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jackson Donelson, Connie Lester, Dissertation writing, John F. Marszalek, Richard B. Latner, Tennessee history, William E. Parrish

The Dissertation Process, Part 2

(Part 1 of this series can be found here) LENGTH OF DISSERTATION My dissertation was 16 chapters long, or, to put it in perspective, 488 pages, sans bibliography. It could have been much longer; I eliminated over 100 pages of text during the drafting stage. (Yes, I tend to overwrite. People who know me as … Continue reading The Dissertation Process, Part 2

Mark R. Cheathem Annette Gordon-Reed, Early Republic, MacArthur Foundation, Sally Hemings, Slavery, Thomas Jefferson

Annette Gordon-Reed and the Jefferson-Hemings Relationship

Early Republic historian Annette Gordon-Reed was recently named a MacArthur Fellow, which awards $500,000 over five years for the pursuit of creative endeavors, no strings attached. Gordon-Reed, of course, is familiar to Early Republic historians and the general public for her work on the Thomas Jefferson-Sally Hemings relationship and the Hemings family, discussed in a Gilder … Continue reading Annette Gordon-Reed and the Jefferson-Hemings Relationship

Mark R. Cheathem Abraham Lincoln, African colonization, Catherine Clinton, Early Republic, Eric Foner, Sean Wilentz

Review of Eric Foner, Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World

I just finished reading Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World, a collection of essays on Abraham Lincoln edited by Eric Foner. I assigned this book to my Civil War students this fall. Since some of the essays deal with Lincoln in the Early Republic period, I'm offering my assessment of those chapters here, setting aside the other chapters that primarily focus on … Continue reading Review of Eric Foner, Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World

Mark R. Cheathem Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jackson Donelson, Connie Lester, Dissertation writing, John F. Marszalek, Mississippi State University, Tennessee history, White House Historical Association

The Dissertation Process, Part 1

Last year, I wrote a Facebook note outlining the process that I went through to write my dissertation in 2001-02. I thought it might be useful to post it here for readers who might be graduate students who are pre-comps or who are just beginning the process. I've edited my original note to remove some personal … Continue reading The Dissertation Process, Part 1

Mark R. Cheathem Aaron Burr, Andrew Jackson, Buckner F. Melton Jr., Burr conspiracy, Early Republic

The Hermitage’s Podcast Series: “Aaron and Andrew: A Southern Story of Treason”

The second installment of The Hermitage's podcast series focuses on the Burr conspiracy. In September 1806, Vice-President Aaron Burr visited Nashville, where a dinner was held in his honor. Just three months later, his life would turn completely around as he would be put on trial for treason. For a time, he had an unwitting … Continue reading The Hermitage’s Podcast Series: “Aaron and Andrew: A Southern Story of Treason”

Mark R. Cheathem Meriwether Lewis, Suicide

R.I.P. Meriwether Lewis

I'm sure he would like nothing more, but it doesn't appear Meriwether Lewis' distant relatives agree. They want him dug up to prove that he didn't commit suicide. This fight to settle the dispute over whether Lewis was murdered or committed suicide isn't new, as it was discussed at various times during the 200th anniversary … Continue reading R.I.P. Meriwether Lewis

Mark R. Cheathem Andrew Jackson, Jacksonian popular culture, Major Jack Downing, Seba Smith

The Age of Jackson’s Forrest Gump

I'd come across Major Jack Downing before this article, but I'd never given him much thought. Downing, created by American humorist Seba Smith, was a "Gump"-like character, according to Aaron McLean Winter. Smith created Jack in 1830 while editing the Portland Courier. An ambitious but naïve young man who abandons his family farm in rural Maine … Continue reading The Age of Jackson’s Forrest Gump

Mark R. Cheathem Antebellum South, Civil War, Civil War memory, Ole Miss

Goodbye, Colonel Reb

The controversy over the Ole Miss mascot, Colonel Reb, appears to winding down. The university has selected five mascots from which Colonel Reb's replacement will be chosen: "a bear, a lion, a horse, a land shark (a reference to the team’s tenacious defensive line) and Hotty and Toddy (derived from the name of the school cheer)." … Continue reading Goodbye, Colonel Reb

Mark R. Cheathem Andrew Jackson, John Spencer Bassett, Slavery

John Spencer Bassett and Jacksonian Historiography, Part 2

(Part 1 of this series is here.) While Bassett certainly attempted to provide a representative cross-section of Jackson's correspondence, several limitations deserve recognition. First, the Bassett volumes were edited and published during a time when certain topics were given more weight than others. For example, political and military matters dominate the CAJ volumes. Kinship, gender, and race are … Continue reading John Spencer Bassett and Jacksonian Historiography, Part 2