My thanks to Johns Hopkins University Press for allowing me to post the introduction to my forthcoming book, The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age of Jackson. On 29 May 1840, approximately 7,500 individuals gathered in Clarksville, Tennessee, to witness a parade celebrating presidential candidate William Henry Harrison. The Whig Party had chosen … Continue reading Read the Introduction to The Coming of Democracy
The Coming of Democracy Is . . . Coming!
After what has felt like an eternity, The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age of Jackson (Johns Hopkins Univ. Press) is in the final stages of production. It is scheduled to come out in July and is available for pre-sale. I want to publicly thank Harry Watson, Robert Owens, John Belohlavek, John Brooke, and … Continue reading The Coming of Democracy Is . . . Coming!
Sneak Peek at My New Book Cover
After a longer span of time than expected, The Coming of Democracy: Presidential Campaigning in the Age of Jackson is finally in production. Copy-edits are in, and I'm awaiting page proofs. You may remember that back in August, I asked you to help choose the book cover. Turns out, the folks at Johns Hopkins Univ. Press had … Continue reading Sneak Peek at My New Book Cover
Release of First Van Buren Documents
I am thrilled beyond words to announce that the first 80 documents from the Papers of Martin Van Buren project are now freely available. Read the entire press release, then visit the PMVB site to explore the documents. This project has gained tremendous momentum in the past couple of months. Our May fundraiser raised almost $1,000, … Continue reading Release of First Van Buren Documents
Van Buren Papers Project Receives NHPRC Grant
Reblogged from the PMVB website: We are thrilled to share the news that the Van Buren Papers received an NHPRC grant for 2017-18. The official Cumberland University press release: Cumberland University received a grant for $60,752 from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Papers of Martin Van Buren (PMVB) project. The funds will … Continue reading Van Buren Papers Project Receives NHPRC Grant
WPLN Visits the Van Buren Papers
Chas Sisk of Nashville Public Radio recently visited the Papers of Martin Van Buren office Chas spent 90 minutes interviewing me and several students (David Gregory, Ally Johnson, and Zach Morgan) who are working on the project over the summer. You can read or listen to the interview through the link at the PMVB website.
The Little Magician Needs You!
As regular readers know, Cumberland University launched the Papers of Martin Van Buren project last February. We have spent the last 13 months working hard to organize the project and begin transcribing Series 1 documents. In an effort to move the project forward, our state representative has introduced Amendment #59 to the Tennessee Higher Education funding … Continue reading The Little Magician Needs You!
Books for Spring 2017 Courses
Introduction to Documentary Editing Mary-Jo Kline and Susan Holbrook Perdue, A Guide to Documentary Editing, 3rd. ed. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008)--Available for free online at the link Ted Widmer, Martin Van Buren (Times Books, 2004) ISBN 978-0805069228 Old South Bruce Baker, What Reconstruction Meant: Historical Memory in the American South (Univ. of Virginia Press, 2009) … Continue reading Books for Spring 2017 Courses
A Historical Precedent for Dumping a Presidential Candidate
The Republican party is set to nominate Donald J. Trump as its nominee this week. Most signs indicate that a plan to derail the New Yorker's convention nomination by unbinding delegates, thus freeing them to vote for someone else, will come to naught. In 1844, another New Yorker discovered that going into a major party's … Continue reading A Historical Precedent for Dumping a Presidential Candidate
Official Launch of The Papers of Martin Van Buren Project
Cumberland University is launching The Papers of Martin Van Buren project on Monday, Feb. 15. (Fittingly, that is Presidents Day.) There will be a press conference in the Vise Library at 2:00 P.M. At 3:30, we will be holding a symposium on presidential papers projects in Labry Hall 130. Speaking at the symposium will be: … Continue reading Official Launch of The Papers of Martin Van Buren Project
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 