Academics

Dear Colleague,

As director, I invite you to apply to become one of twenty-five NEH Summer Scholars in an exciting teachers’ institute on Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad to be held at Colgate University from June 26-July 22, 2011. The National Endowment for the Humanities is supporting this institute and has designated it as a “We the People” project. In this letter I want to share with you the excitement I feel about the institute and encourage you to apply.

The Underground Railroad has a history that most contemporary Americans find invigorating and rewarding. Developing concurrently with the abolitionist movement against slavery, the Underground Railroad was an historical force that speaks to the genuine love of freedom shared by Americans today. The battle to end slavery stemmed from the core values of the American Revolution. Some of these values were present at the start of our republic; others remained contested in the first half of the nineteenth century. Issues of freedom and equality for men were settled in the cauldron of the Civil War and were embodied in amendments to our constitution. Political freedoms for women had to wait until the twentieth century, except in a few western states.

Join me as we discover how black and white American men and women put their lives on the line toward establishing universal American freedom through the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. As I will detail in this letter, we will read and discuss significant primary documents and key interpretations, listen to some of the nation’s leading experts on the Underground Railroad and Abolitionism, spend evenings watching apposite films and enjoy the facilities of the beautiful Colgate campus during the best season.

Let me tell you more about my plans and the people who will help me make this institute a great experience for you. Upstate New York was one of the most important centers of abolitionist activity from the early 1830s until the Civil War and home to key figures including Gerrit Smith, Jermain Loguen, Beriah Green, Frederick Douglass, John Brown, and Harriet Tubman.  The upstate region is now home to the institution dedicated to commemorating the courage and commitment of these patriots, the National Abolition Hall of Fame located in Peterboro, New York.

Three major “tracks” of the Underground Railroad ran through upstate New York to Canada. On the east side of the state, freedom seekers found sanctuary and assistance from New York City up the Hudson River through the Adirondack Region. In the middle of the state, Underground Railroad routes ran through Ithaca to Rochester and from Binghamton to Syracuse. The third route encompassed the western corridor through Fredonia, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls. Abolitionists in upstate New York deeply influenced the rise of the Underground Railroad there and in Ohio, which became inflamed with antislavery in part through the efforts of agents from the Empire State. New Yorkers were also connected with abolitionists and Underground Railroad workers in New England, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

Participants will study the beginnings of upstate New York’s abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad from their origins in the egalitarian and freedom-loving ethos of revolutionary and early national periods through the Civil War. As institute speaker Fergus Bordewich argues in his fine study, Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America, the development of radical abolitionism and the Underground Railroad were intertwined from their beginnings throughout the North and Midwest. These interwoven currents began with the emergence of gradual emancipation in the northern states and African American determination to find liberty as fulfillment of the American Revolution. Even more than the numbers of African Americans who gained freedom by gradual emancipation of slaves, blacks sought self-determination through courtroom battles, by personal agreements with masters and mistresses, and most commonly, scholars agree, by flight from bondage.

New York State, as did other northern states, ended slavery slowly. In 1799 New York State enacted gradual emancipation. A bill passed in 1817 set the date for final extirpation of slavery on July 4, 1827. Only New Jersey took longer to end slavery, not passing a gradual emancipation act in 1804. Still there was much to be done in New York State. Its African American population faced harsh legal restrictions and growing racism after 1827. Blacks connected their lack of civil liberties with those of enslaved peoples in the southern states. At the same time, a rising educated African American elite in the North was determined to protect endangered freedoms and to fight kidnappers intent on profits from illicit sales of blacks to the south, actions which created connections for New York State blacks with enslaved peoples in the southern states. Among whites, such forces as evangelical religion, the legacy of the American Revolution, and concerns the political power of the slave south sustained growing anti-slavery and free labor convictions in the northern states generally. These themes demonstrate the combined efforts of African and white Americans, the importance of female participation, and the development of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad on the local level. Beginning in the 1830s and swelling in numbers and impact in succeeding decades, white and black activists in upstate New York, in union with colleagues in New York City, created an abolitionist movement that shook society to its roots. Americans find the histories of the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement appealing because they represent the moral activism of a concerned, enlightened citizenry often working across racial boundaries. Such activists encouraged society to live up to its principles and ultimately vanquish slavery, an inherently unequal and unfair social system.

The schedule begins with registration and a welcome reception on the evening of Sunday, June 26. All participants are expected to arrive on Sunday. The institute begins on the morning of June 27. I have invited and received confirmations from some of the best scholars in antebellum American History to speak at our sessions. On Monday morning, Manisha Sinha of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and author of many insightful articles and books on abolitionism will speak on Monday afternoon about black abolitionist historiography and activism. On Monday afternoon, I will lecture and discuss the lengthy history of slavery in New York colony and state and about the development of gradual emancipation. Tuesday, David Gellman of DePauw University and author of Jim Crow New York and Emancipating New York will lead discussions of the legal restrictions of African American citizens even after the end of slavery and the rise of racism in the state at the time of initial antislavery efforts. On Tuesday afternoon, Gellman and I will use primary documents to explore methods of emancipation. Later on Tuesday, Emily Hutton-Hughes, head of acquisitions at Colgate’s Case library, will demonstrate the many databases available to institute participants. On Monday and Tuesday evenings, we will watch the four part PBS series, Slavery and the Making of America. On Wednesday, Stephen Hall of Ohio State University will discuss early black intellectuals, using his book, A Faithful Account of the Race: African American Historical Writing in Nineteenth-Century America. On Thursday, Richard Newman, author of Freedom's Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers, will discuss the founding generations of black abolitionists. He and I will lead the afternoon discussion. On Friday, Craig Wilder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of In the Company of Black Men; the African Influence in African American Culture in New York City, will talk about black nationalism and abolitionism. During each week, we will take time to discuss our findings from the Institute and their classroom application.

On Monday, July 4, we will join the Hamilton village residents for the annual town parade marking our day of Independence. On Monday, July 5, Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan and many other books, will lecture on the coalescing of the Underground Railroad in the 1840s and its explosive national presence in the 1850s. The following day, we will travel to Seneca Falls and Auburn, New York, where Judith Wellman, Professor Emerita from SUNY-Oswego, and author of The Road to Seneca Falls: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the First Woman’s Rights Convention, will meet us there and give the first of her two lectures about abolitionism, feminism and the Underground Railroad. Professor Wellman is one of New York State’s leading authorities on the Underground Railroad. We will then travel a short distance to Auburn, New York, to visit the homes of Harriet Tubman and William Seward. Following that, we will go to the hamlet of Sherwood, New York to see several Underground Railroad sites. On Wednesday, I will discuss my biography of David Ruggles and emphasize the connections between his activities and those of abolitionists elsewhere. In the evening there will be a showing of the film Whispers of Angels, about the Underground Railroad. On July 8 & 9, James and Lois Horton (two different websites), two of the most prolific writers and lecturers on the Underground Railroad will discuss teaching slavery and the Underground Railroad in the classroom. James Horton is Professor Emeritus at George Washington University and chief historical consultant for the recent Slavery in New York exhibit at the New-York Historical Society and expert consultant for innumerable PBS shows on slavery and black life. Lois Horton is Professor of Sociology at James Mason University, author of many books and article with her husband and on her own and is an expert on the Underground Railroad.

I will begin the third week in morning of Monday, July 11 with a discussion of the spread of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad. In the afternoon, Milton Sernett, will lecture and show a slide show on the the 1835 New York State Anti-Slavery Convention On July 12, we will travel first to Peterboro in the morning to visit the Gerrit Smith site and the Smithfield Community Hall where the convention occurred. Later, we will travel to the Oneida Community Mansion House in Oneida, New York. There, Judy Wellman give us a tour of the Oneida Community’s Mansion house and continue her discussion of feminism and the Underground Railroad.  On Wednesday, July 13, I will lecture on Frederick Douglass’s career in abolitionism and the Underground Railroad in the 1840s. On Thursday, Scott Gac will lecture on abolitionism and music. In the evening Gac and Deborah Goss, a professional singer, will perform a concert of abolitionist songs.  On Friday, Reinhardt Johnson, author of the book, The Liberty Party, will discuss the 1840 split among abolitionists over the involvement in organized politics, the place of women in the movement and how the politics of abolitionism emerged in the 1840s.

Opening the last week on Monday, July 19, will be Stacey Robertson, Professor of History at Bradley University and author of Hearts Beating for Liberty: Women Abolitionists in the Old Northwest. She will discuss how abolitionism, feminism and the Underground Railroad congealed across the western states.   On Tuesday, Stanley Harrold, Professor of History at South Carolina State University and author of many books including the recent Border Wars: Fighting Slavery before the Civil War, will talk about violence and the antislavery movement in the 1850s. On Wednesday, Douglas Egerton, Professor of History at LeMoyne College, and author of many books including Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought on the Civil War. He will discuss the crisis of the late 1850s and the tumultuous election of 1860. On Wednesday evening, John Stauffer, Professor at Harvard University, will give a talk on Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass from his book Giants: The Parallel Lives of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. On Thursday, Stauffer will discuss his work The Black Hearts of Men: Radical Abolitionists and the Transformation of Race. On Thursday afternoon, the Institute will look at coverage of the John Brown trial of 1859 using the databases Harpweek and America’s Historical Newspapers. In the evening participants can watch the film Glory, on the famous black regiment of the Civil War. The last morning will be a wrap-up discussion. Participants will receive copies of the most relevant works of the speakers including most of the titles mentioned above as well as course packs of important primary materials.

Let me now discuss some of the logistics of the institute. As this schedule indicates, we will share an intense and rewarding four weeks together. Except where noted, all sessions will be held in Alumni Hall on Colgate’s campus. Participants will have access to Case Library, which is open from eight a.m. to five p.m. Monday through Friday during the summer. There may be extended evening hours as well. Case Library is a newly renovated, state-of-the-art library of over 700,000 volumes, plus periodicals, e-journals, government documents, and dozens of appropriate web-based archives. Institute participants will receive a special university card, which will provide access to the library and the university’s Internet system. There will be “library breaks” during the day so that participants may use the library collection.  In addition to the academic resources, all of the resources of campus are included in the facilities fee.

While there are no formal writing requirements for the institute, participants may develop lesson plans in conjunction with Professor Hodges.

During the Institute Summer Scholars may choose to live in Bunche Hall, a small “theme house” dormitory, equipped with cooking facilities. Bunche Hall is located across the street from the main campus, has ample, free parking, and is easily accessible to the town. For residents in Bunche Hall, housing and university facility fees are expected to be about $37 per day. Those choosing to live in Bunche Hall are strongly encouraged to bring their own dormitory-style sheets. There will be additional charges for spouses and other overnight guests. Alternatively, participants may choose to rent apartments in the village during the institute. I will provide you with a list of real estate agents who can assist you in finding a place to live. This option is especially useful for those who plan to bring their families. For those living off campus, only the facilities fee of about fifteen dollars per day will apply.

Colgate University is aware that the NEH Summer Scholars will be mature adults and teaching professionals. Therefore institute participants will be designated as “visiting scholars.” Each participant will receive a $3300 stipend to help defray costs of the seminar and transportation to and from home. Colgate University policy provides participants with one-half of their stipend upon arrival. Charges for university housing and university facilities fees will be deducted from the first check. The second check will be issued at the end of the third week.

In addition to the activities on campus, participants should enjoy the many events in the town, which is a short walk from the school. Colgate University has extensive experience with summer groups, and “rolls out the red carpet” for them. Participants will have weekends free for relaxation and contemplation.

I welcome your application and ask that all materials be postmarked by March 1, 2011. In your application please spend special effort on an essay that explains your interest, both personal and intellectual, in the topic. Indicate your qualifications to do the work of the project and make a contribution to it. Tell me what you hope to accomplish by participation, including any research and writing projects and the relation of the study to your teaching. Enclose two letters of recommendation in your application packet.

Up to three graduate students who intend to pursue a career in teaching may be admitted to the institute.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Please send your full application to me at the Department of History, Colgate University, Hamilton NY 13346. Do not send application materials to the NEH.

Sincerely,

Graham Russell Hodges, George Dorland Langdon, Jr. Professor of History