Research
National Archives and Records Administration Research
Later in the afternoon, some students visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History, but others stayed at the Archives and received an introduction to the Papers of Abraham Lincoln by assistant editor David Gerleman. At the end of the visit, students met David Ferriero, the Archivist of the United States.
MCEAS Undergraduate Research Workshop
The McNeil Center is an interdisciplinary community of scholars who study the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850.
In Their Own Words: Mellon Scholar Research Experiences
Kathleen Clark '16
Kathleen Clark ’16, has been pursuing research on the history and memory of the breakup of ex-Yugoslavia in the 1990s. In particular, she has been studying questions of identity in Serbian and Bosnian communities. Professor William Bowman has served as her mentor for this work, which she began in the fall 2014 semester in his contemporary European history class. In the spring of 2015, Katie was in Serbia and Kosovo, where she was able to conduct a number of first-person interviews with people about their experiences and memories of war and conflict in the region. In the summer of 2015, she has continued this research with the help of a Mellon grant. Professor Bowman is the faculty mentor for the Mellon project, too, which has allowed Katie the opportunity to conduct interviews among the Bosnian community in Carlisle, PA and in Gettysburg. She has also become interested in the history of memorials in ex-Yugoslavia and how individuals from that region have negotiated the transition to the United States. In the academic year 2015-16, Katie will continue her study of Serbian and Bosnian identity and present her work at several professional venues." - Prof. Bill Bowman
Jerome Clarke '17
Jerome Clarke '17, is developing an analytical framework for considering the conjunction of activism and philosophy through the work of W.E.B. DuBois, Karl Marx, William James, Huey Newton, and Angela Davis. He is connecting pragmatic underpinnings of their intellectual production with contemporary black activism such as the Black Lives Matter movement.
John Denny '16
“This past summer John Denny ’16, received a Mellon fellowship to research the fate of Jews who were expelled from the Spanish kingdoms in 1492. In particular John focused on Jews who went to Italy, looking to see how cities such as Venice, Livorno, and Ancona tried to attract Jews for primarily financial reasons. John looked at the writings of Jews who had been expelled from Spain to see if by emphasizing their wealth and talents, they actually encouraged certain communities to want to recruit them. He also considered how common perceptions of Jews as moneylenders might have caused city authorities to invite them to settle. John is hoping to present his findings at a conference for undergraduate students. He will also continue to research related ideas during his senior seminar this semester with Professor Karim Samji.” - Prof. Magdalena Sanchez
Killed at Gettysburg
Killed at Gettysburg is a new digital history project from the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, in collaboration with Gettysburg National Military Park and Phillips Exeter Academy. Researched and written by our students and partners, our site tells the stories of the men who gave the last full measure of devotion at the Battle of Gettysburg. Visit the Killed at Gettysburg website.
The Jack Peirs Project
The Jack Peirs project began as a conversation between a student and his professor. History major, Marco Dracopoli ’14, approached his professor, Dr. Ian Isherwood, about writing a research paper on leadership in the trenches. The resulting paper “A New Officer for a New Army: Major Hugh J.C. Peirs in the Great War” was based on his ancestor’s First World War letters. Brainstorming the possibilities of the collection with the Dracopoli family and with Special Collections college archivist Amy Lucadamo, we decided to build a digital history project around the letters. The goal of the project is to make these letters available to the largest number of people and to provide a learning opportunity for our students.
We will be releasing each of the Peirs letters on the hundredth anniversary of the day in which he composed them, with annotations and commentary by Gettysburg College staff and students. Please feel free to engage with the site, to use in it in your research (properly attributed), and in your classroom. Bookmark our page, share our posts on social media, and follow H.J.C. Peirs on twitter @jackpeirs.
We are indebted to the Dracopoli/Zorich family through whose generosity this project would not be possible.
The project is based around the papers of Major Hugh Peirs who was a British Army officer in the Great War. The papers belong to the Dracopoli Family (Marco Dracopoli '14 was one of our majors) and they have generously let us build a website around them. We are releasing one letter (and transcription) to the day in which Peirs wrote it. Peirs himself tweets @jackpeirs. Each letter will have commentary and a place for comments by visitors.
Gettysburg History Journal
Each year, Gettysburg History students publish the History journal, featuring their own original research and essays. A student editorial board handles the entire process, from soliciting submissions to reviewing them to designing the publication.
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