.) Graduation Essay of Lula Whilden
1.) "Life's Mission"
Lula Whilden Graduation Essay
1870

2.) Keeley Institute in Atlanta
"The Keeley Institute Now a Permanent Institution for Atlanta
Atl. Const.
May 3, 1891

3.) African American Suffrage
The Negro's Ballot The Fifteenth Amendment was a Failure Republicans Receive no Benefit John Sherman Says He Sometimes Wishes It Had Not Been Adopted - His Attack Upon the South
Atl. Const. Mar 14, 1890

4.) I may instead of one of the above do an episode on Belle Kearney which would relate to the WCTU

1.)My God trumps your Great Spirit
So Baptist mission to Cherokee 1877

2.)No Wampum for this land
1832 Cherokee/ Georgia Land Lottery

3.) Pagan Peacemaker
1805/1830 speeches of Red Jacket

4.) Killing a god
1880's killing of Buffallo herds and native responses

"Slavery Expansion and Restriction in the United States"
        Greely, Horace. A History of the Struggle for Slavery Extention or Restriction in the United States from the Declaration of Independence to the Present Day. New York: Dix, Edwards & Co., 1856.

"A Plea for Peace Within the Union"
         Grimke, Thomas. A letter to the Honorable John C. Calhoun, Vice-President of the United States, Robert Y. Hayne, Senator of the United States, George M'Duffie, of the House of Representatives of the United States, and James Hamilton, Jr. Governor of the State of South Carolina. Charleston: James S. Burges, 1832.

"Alarming Disclosures From the South Carolina Senate"
          Frean Thomas. Alarming disclosures! : Secret proceedings in the Senate of South Carolina : The victim of persecution at the stake, cries out aloud and expose the guilty!! : Murder will out. s.l. : s.n., 1857.

"Exiled From Florida"
           Giddings, Joshua Reed. The Exiles of Florida. Columbus, OH: Follett, Foster and Company, 1858.

"The Development of Roads in Upper Greenville County"
           Hufty, Samuel. Geographical, Statistical, and Historic Map of South Carolina. 1822.Hufty, Samuel. Geographical, Statistical, and Historic Map of South Carolina. 1822.

Salmon, George. Greenville District, South Carolina. 1820.

Lewis, Samuel. The State of South Carolina. 1795.

Batson, Mann. Early Travel and Accommodations Along the Roads of the Upper Part of Greenville County, South Carolina and Surrounding Areas. Taylors, SC: Faith Printing Co., 1995.

My Closing thoughts...
In class, almost a month ago, we talked about the political transformation that occurred as women began to be a key to success through their persuasive techniques. Specifically, one aspect we looked at was women as political supporters, and their involvement as auxiliaries to political processes. One of the episodes, which I briefly mentioned in class today, supplemented my reading of Edwards’ book, Angels in the Machinery. I thought, however, that the section of the book which I wrote my episode on, really embodied this definition of women’s involvement in the 19th century.
 The Tariff issue was a prevailing issue in the 1888 election year. The Democrats realized that in order to gain victory (which they would), they needed widespread moral and economic backing. Women, though not voting, provided the political backing through not only their persuasive techniques and their controlling ways to control the vote of their husbands, but through the idea of women as moral agents and the Republicans as “rich industrialists.” Consumerism was steadily rising, and this rapidly rising idea of materialism was a female’s responsibility to do the shopping for her family. One editor wrote about the new woman’s role as being that of the “family treasurer and disbursing officer.”
Meanwhile, though recognizing women as important in the election year, Democrats still did not accept the idea of family as maternally located. But their familial influence did intrigue the Democrats, which they used to their benefit. Women’s ability to gain their political identity through their consumerism and the economics of the country, allowed for their organizations and place in political society to gradually emerge. Through their persuasive actions within their households, women were able to participate in this tariff reform and economic issue through the ballots of their husbands. The Speaker of the House, Tomas B. Reed, said “I am inclined to think that the most important factor in the result of the election is the women of the country.”- A breakthrough, indeed, for women in the late 19th century.
Rebecca Edwards, Angels in the Machinery (New York: Oxford University Press, 2997), pp.67-74.

I'm not one for those "what I've learned pieces", but I will say that two aspects of US history that I previously have dismissed as overrated have made quite an impact on my analysis of this class.

The Civil War has been beat into my head every year for as long as I can remember with the same themes prevailing...slavery, states rights, government powers...but there have been some unifying factors that have struck me during this course that tie everything together
        My episodes for the History were never intended to be about the Civil War or to be in any way related to the event. But it became increasingly evident with every episode the overarching importance of the Civil War in American History. No matter the subject matter that I came up with...even a ladies magazine (Godey's Lady's Book encountered what was essentially it's death knell due to the Civil War)for example, did my episodes deal with the Civil War. The lasting importance of the Civil War also came to light in the form of the Trowbridge/Reid episode which demonstarted so well the long term effects of the Civil War (farmers plowing up skulls in Fredericksburg for example).
         The other overrated event in US history that I've had a change of opinion on is the construction/evolution/usage of the railroad industry throughout the 19th Century in the US. Almost every industry was reliant on the railroad to expand and dominate in order to increase profit, etc. The regulation of governement through the railroad also amazed me, industry controlling the government by seemingly being controlled was a very shocking to learn; more the fact that it actually worked!
         I am still not convinced of the importance of Tammany Hall/Boss Tweed as that important an event however.

My Closing Thoughts are . . . WoW. This class has had really high points and low ones, sometimes tied up all in one :]

Prior to now, I knew next to nothing about the 19th century, and the little bit I did know was either blatantly wrong or so biased as to approach falsehood. I found the class difficult at times because I needed a little more structure and a few more basics before delving so deeply into specifics, but all of this provided an opportunity to learn an immense amount!

Also, I was able to destroy some of my misconceptions and misinformation, most of which had been taught to me. Most notably was that of Greeneville, TN. I can't remember whether I have already shared the story on the Board, so if I have, skip on ahead to the next paragraph. While I lived in Greeneville, my teachers taught me that the tiny town was named after the Revolutionary war General Nathaniel Greene, who, as it turns out, never ever ever entered Tennessee. My teachers claimed that he died in Greeneville trying to hide from the British. On a more related topic, I was also taught that Andrew Johnson was born and raised in Greeneville. We visited his tailor shop where his wife taught him how to read - he was illiterate until then. In truth, Andrew Johnson was NOT born in Greeneville, and who knows how much of anything I was taught was actual truth. And what about those other kids - did they ever find out the truth? Information is incredibly powerful and misinformation as easily as truth can be passed on from generation to generation.

I enjoyed almost all of the outside readings, especially Stephen Ash's 1865, with the only true exception being 1884. Perhaps the most unique aspect of this course was also the most personally beneficial. I love history, so I have always liked research. However, the SHDB and the History Engine projects, even while they were a source of some stress, showed me how much I LOVE research! I was so excited when I could make time to go to Special Collections, and I got to use microfilm for the first time ever with Julia's help. That was extraordinarily neat!

When my research on the Philosophian Society intersected with some of Julia's research, we were able to "chase a rabbit" [as my religion teacher would say] and come to a better understanding of primary documents and historical research in general.

I discovered that I really enjoy the episodic approach to history! I loved getting in specific with several pieces and then relating it to the wider trends. The specific pieces give so much more interesting information than broad textbook-style strokes. I had some difficulties with the research, but the end result was really rewarding.

Learning about different approaches to historical study was very beneficial for me, as a future historian :] I used to think this period in history was relatively boring [excepting the Civil War] with Westward Expansion and railroads, but I grossly underestimated nearly everything.

I have probably learned as much about how to study history and how to write about history from this class as I have about the nineteenth century. I had always enjoyed primary documents in the past, but I did not as much understanding of how to integrate them into the broader picture of what was going on in the greater scope of the United States. Looking at history from an episodic view within the context of nineteenth century America has shown me how smaller events, like the Erie Canal or the yellow fever epidemics, could really impact either individual areas or the entire country. And sometimes local or personal events that were immensely important and life-changing for specific individuals might not have fit in with what everyone else (or were they) were thinking and talking about on a national level.
Near the beginning of the course Dr. Benson talked about what it meant to look at history from the "presidential view" (I believe that was what he called it) where only the biggest, most national events or most well-known people were considered. In a lot of ways the nineteenth century allowed a greater number of people to enter into this decision making process as innovation opened up new job opportunities, women ventured into the public sphere as moral guides, and slaves were given there freedom and rights (at least by the law).
The focus of many historians seems to be shifting more towards looking at how the details and inconsistencies line up with (or contradict) the broader current. We have been doing this ourselves through our own research and episode writing. With alternate ways of studying history available, we must choose which we believe is most helpful for understanding the past, or whether the two can be somehow integrated. Or is the study of history from a "presidential view" simply choosing to look at episodes concerning the individuals who led the government? It seems wrong to give more importance to one group of people over another, but at the same time Lincoln's decision to call troops changed the lives of thousands of people, and that cannot be ignored. In a way his decisions are being studied whenever any soldier's story is considered.
Additionally, the way that different people perceived events and the general attitude of the population has also grown greatly in importance to me while taking this course. Many times these perceptions as to what was important or what even happened are different from our own thoughts about a situation. This have really been highlighted for me through the episode I wrote on the dedication of a poetry book to the heroic women of the South - women that historians now claim lost the war because they lost a willingness to sacrifice. I have learned (and am still learning) what it means to look through the filter of the people of the nineteenth century while still considering the analysis of current historians.

Closing thoughts? Well...

I certainly appreciated the diversity of tools and methods we encountered that aided in "learning" about 19th century America and just history in general. The SHDB served as a great avenue for doing a general survey of the period and just learning the dates and the facts,which are always important. However the episode portion of the class was the one I found most stimulating and invigorating. The opportunity to actual "get my hands wet" with the material and do a little of my own historical analysis was an experience I had yet to have. I also think that this portion of the exam helped us to gain a deeper understanding not only of what happened and when, but also why and to what extant and to what end and other more intricate and profound details. It also gave us the opportunity to weigh the merit and tangibility of several different schools of thought concerning this period in American. And finally it offered the opportunity to take personal areas of interest and to do primary research on that topic. For me this was of course baseball, and my favorite episode was the one I wrote on Spalding's and Baseball's World Tour. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed that segment of the class.

After having taken Dr. Benson's Civil Era class and know the 19th century American class, the Civil War, what "caused" it, and its repercussions are still my favorite part of American history. The most interesting thing I encountered in this class was the ability to trace the growing trends from as early as 1820 that led up to the bloodiest war in American history. This was indeed an exciting experience for me.

I guess one of the most important things I've learned in this class is that it is not just single events that are important but single moments in time and how these moments can change everything. And I thing that has been the theme of the class to focus on important moments and understand them and put them in the broader contex history. This is all reflected in the SHDB project, the books we read, and the History Engine Project all which asked us to focus on specific dates and years and to see how events in those years related. This allows us to see things as people of that time would see them, not as a series of events leading up to some climactic conclusion as is done in most history text books, but as a jumble of events that all weigh on people's minds and which have no certian outcome. I think it is this approach that has taught me the most about studying history, and so it is the most important thing have taken from this class.

Well...This was certainly a new experience for me. I am - or I'm going to be - a history major, but this was my first upper level history class, and I'll say it was an enjoyable experience. I was actually able to look forward to class each day, and knew that something fun and exciting was going to be presented. I certainly learned more than I ever thought possible about being an historian. It is more than reading books - it is getting your hands on actual documents and pouring over them; something i found very exciting. It was so much fun to actually get excited over going to the library to do research for a project (not constantly, but there were moments). The History Engine Project was a great one, which required me to learn some new skills and figure out how to write History, not just study it, and that is a definite positive I will take away. Overall, i'm very glad this was my first history class. I think it has set the ground work for some great classes to come.

First, although I have studied some aspects of American History during the 19th Century, this course provided a thorough and insightful overview of events, even when we focused on the broader (or "presidential") perspective. The SHDB was especially helpful for this, given that each person was forced to discover at least four important events for each year. While more happened in some years than in others, even the so-called "off" years provided important information towards a broader historical interpretation.

Like almost everyone else, I feel that this class has helped me appreciate individual events, at the same time that it has helped me to discern how they fit into the broader overview. Like David, one of my favorite subjects we covered was the Civil War. My favorite episode, as I mentioned in class, was the Battle of Nashville. This class, while trying most of the time, helped me develop a more thorough approach toward reading and interpreting history than I had before.

This course gave me a greater insight on the 19th century, a century I admittedly knew little about, apart from the Civil War. The ind-depth explorations of the many aspects of that century really helped me gain a better understanding about that century and the events before, during, and after it that have had an impact on us as individuals and as citizens of the United States.

My favorite topic was the Civil War, but each topic we discussed and examined in class was a valuable tool that helped me grow as a student and as a historian.

I learned so many new things while taking this class. I had never been in a history class that focused so much on the micro level of the past. The SHDB and the History Engine projects really gave me a new viewpoint on how historians examine individual events in history.

Edited by author 12-07-2007 05:54 PM
Hello All! I hope studying is going well :]

I am doing some major reworking on my July 4, 1876 episode, so since we are supposed to study those, I wanted to give you the general idea of it before I finish writing and submit it.

My episode will now focus solely on the sale article from Greenville's Enterprise and Mountaineer, whereby the paper "will present a $60 Weed Sewing-Machine, warranted by the manufacturers to be in perfect order . . . to each of the five persons sending us the largest number of new cash yearly subscribers.” I wanted to understand why there was so little mention of Southern celebration.

I am working on a general argument that Northerners and blacks had much more of a reason to celebrate the Centennial than Southerners under Reconstruction. While Northerners felt they had won a war and blacks felt as if they had gained their hard earned freedom, many Southerners felt as if they were losing freedoms and losing control. The South really had very little to celebrate at this point.

So my five episodes are . . .
1) Furman University's Philosophian Society Discusses Divisive Issues
    Minutes of the Furman University Philosophian Society, Greenville, SC. March 22, 1861 – April 5, 1861 (Special Collections Library, Furman University).

2) The Philosophian Society in the Civil War and Beyond
    Minutes of the Furman University Philosophian Society, Greenville, SC. June 21, 1861 – April 9, 1866 (Special Collections Library, Furman University).

3) Notice: No American History Taught Here
    Grote, George. History of Greece. Vol. V. New York City, N.Y., Printed by Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1854. (Special Collections Library, Furman University)
Pütz, Wilhelm. Manual of Ancient Geography and History. Thomas Kerchever Arnold, Ed. Trans. German. 3rd Ed. New York City, N.Y., Printed by D. Appleton and Company, 1877. (Special Collections Library, Furman University)
Rollin, Charles. The Ancient History. Vols. 1 and 2. New York City, N.Y., Printed by Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1843. (Special Collections Library, Furman University)


4) July 4, 1876: The Centennial (un)Celebration
    “Our Centennial Offer.” The Enterprise and Mountaineer, Greenville, South Carolina. July 5, 1876 (Microfilm 677 3 2988 00256 6550, James B. Duke Library, Furman University.)

5) Separation of Church and Race
    Minutes and Records 1821-1875. First Baptist Church, Charleston, S.C. (Microfilm 286.06 5724 ch1, Special Collections Library, Furman University.)

I realized that I forgot to post about the Summers book so here are my thoughts...
I was also confused for most of the book. There were so many little stories and side stories and people. Part of the problem for me was that this was the time period in history that I least liked. After learning about the Civil War and the Reconstruction, I didn't really like US history until the 20th century. However, this book as well as some discussions in class have gotten me a little more interested in that time period. If you look past the corruption and don't look at the robber barons as criminals, but as very intellegent individuals, then they become more interesting as you look for the good aspects in their character and how they really shaped modern day.
As for the political aspect of the book, I got hopelessly lost. But again I found that this also is very similar to modern day (where I also have trouble following political parties and the people within them) and it really made me determined to vote for the person I want in the next election.

Closing thoughts...
What a lot of information. In past history classes I feel as though the teacher went through a textbook and picked a certain number of important events and then lectured on those events. However, many teachers would talk about the same events because textbooks can be very similar. With this course, I felt as though the structure was similar, but the important events were not the textbook answers, but events that tend to fall through the cracks. It was exciting and frusterating and overwhelming at the same time - exciting because there was so much new information and so many more connections that I made to link historical moments together, frusterating because sometimes you were not really sure what the significance of that event that you've never really discussed before was and you had to try to piece it into the large picture before you forgot about it, and overwhelming because there are so many intricate details and questions to ask and things to think about when studying history and you feel as though you will never remember them all (and most of the time you probably don't). Lecture days were always interesting and informative - even if you weren't quite sure how to fit them within the history map you've made already.
It was also helpful to have this discussion board to keep you on track and not to let you fall behind in hw. It also provided a place to post ideas that you either didn't have time to mention in class or came up with after class and would forget before class the next day. There was a lot of reading. I appreciated having so many sources, but it seemed almost impossible to read them all. It was probably good that there were so many - one because history has so many perspectives and it's really important to look into them all, two because you should concentrate on your class outside of class at least once a day, and three because even if you don't get to all of the sources you will try to get to a majority of them and hopefully learn more than you would if just reading the textbook.
As for the SHDB and the History Engine. I really enjoyed both projects, but I wish that we would have had more lecture days. Both projects forced us to look at very specific aspects of history and to do a ton of research on our own and discover history on our own, but I also really enjoyed lecture days and learning what a variety of people have contributed to the world of history - how history is known in the history world right now (as opposed to my interpretation). I enjoyed chasing after my episode ideas and finding the interconnected sources, but I wish I would have had more time to really dig deep into each issue.
Overall I learned mucho, am keeping my notes, and will be studying a great deal for the final.