Pod-Textualizing the Past: Recent Episodes
Susan Stanfield
Pod-Textualizing the Past is a podcast that explores U.S. history from pre-colonization through the U.S. Civil War. Produced at the University of Texas at El Paso, Professor Susan Stanfield talks with experts about specific aspects of U.S. history and their cultural impact.
Taylor Spence (Ph.D. MFA, Artist and Independent Scholar) will delve into the world of utopian communities in the nineteenth century and explain how and why they were formed. From free love to rethinking how labor practices and gender roles were discussed, these communities shaped the development of early America.
For more information on this topic, you may read Dr. Spence’s book, Grasping Democracy: The Settler Colonial Turn in Early National America or check out his website: https://www.taylorwyoming.com/the-cowboy-flaneur-a-culture-blog
Sarah Jencks (History Co-Lab, A non-profit company) will discuss traveling in the 1820s. While we may just hop in a plane or take our cars for travel, in the 1820s traveling around for pleasure was much more difficult. It could involve steam ships, canal boats, or a stage coach and in the case of Ellin Curson it entailed all three. Ellin left behind a diary that traces her 6 week trip from Baltimore to New York which reveals what it was like to be a young woman on a trip at this time.
You can read a transcription of the diary and also find links to a map and the travel guide used on the trip here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XU_PhqsCkL-91reSQ950RL-vEUYUaWn7B1v9HnCGhuQ/edit?invite=COa3lJIK
Joshua Greenberg (Ph.D. American University) is the author of Banknotes and Shinplasters: The Rage for Paper Money in the Early Republic. In this podcast Dr. Greenberg discusses the development and circulation of paper money in the early years of the United States and how it impacted the lives of the people in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Dr. Evan Elizabeth Hart (History-Missouri Western State University) discusses the history of abortion and birth control in this country beginning in the 1700’s. When does life begin? What was important for women’s health? What kinds of birth control were available in the 18th and 19th centuries? Dr. Hart answers these questions and more as she tracks the history of women’s reproductive health.
Dr. Liz Covart (Ph.D. University of California-Davis) joins us today to discuss the first governing bodies and the document of the newly formed United States of America. Creating a nation from separate colonies during a war for independence is no easy task. The United States transitioned from the Continental Congress to the Congress of Confederation during the war, however after independence was confirmed with the Treaty of Paris (1783) how did governing work?
Liz Covart hosts the podcast, Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast about early America https://benfranklinsworld.com/
It covers a variety of fascinating topics and is worth checking out.
John Legg, (Ph.D. candidate, George Mason University) discusses the war with the Dakota in 1862 which took place in south central Minnesota. Legg has studied the Dakota extensively for years and his Master’s degree focused on the war and historical memory. John has a book chapter that will be published soon on the Oregon Trail video game—an old school game that certainly inspired many people to study history. You can follow him on Twitter @thejohnlegg
Jose Miguel Chavez Leyva, (Ph.D. candidate, University of Texas at El Paso) discusses the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, that took place in modern day New Mexico. The Pueblo challenged the Spanish occupation of their lands preserving their autonomy. Leyva studies environmental history and native groups in the Southwest Borderlands from the pre-Columbian era to the Spanish Colonial era, and through the modern era. For further information about his research see his website: https://www.josemleyva.com/
Courtney Cauthon, historian and period seamstress joins us today for a discussion of 19th century fashion and the dress reform movement. Cauthon explains why this movement is important and why the study of dress and fashion helps us understand the past. You can find out more about this topic at Cauthon’s website https://www.thebarefoothistorian.com
Dr. Bridget Marshall (English-University of Massachusetts-Lowell) gives us the scoop on the Lowell Mills and the female workforce that kept them running. What was daily life like for a mill girl? How were mill workers portrayed in popular culture? In this podcast, these issues and more are discussed. You can follow Dr. Marshall on twitter @factorygothic.
Dr. Bridget Marshall (English-University of Massachusetts-Lowell) discusses accusations of witchcraft and witchcraft trials in British North America, focusing on two cases (Mary Parsons and Mary Webster) that took place before the Salem trials in 1692-1693. You can follow her on twitter @factorygothic.
Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara, (Associate Professor, Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin) discusses slavery in New England in this podcast. Although we typically think about slavery as being a story of the American South, Dr. Clark-Pujara dispels that myth and explains how northern states profited from slave labor. She is the author of Dark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island.
Janalyn Moss (History Librarian at the University of Iowa) talks to us about the man, the musical and the world of Alexander Hamilton. By contextualizing the musical, this discussion examines how “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story,” shapes our understanding of Hamilton and the Revolutionary era. This episode includes short excerpts from the musical and is intended for educational purposes only.
Fair Use Notice: This episode of the Pod-textualizing the Past contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of history and politics in an educational setting. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this podcast episode is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.If you wish to use copyrighted material from this podcast for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.Last updated: July 10, 2020
Rachel Snell (Ph.D. History, University of Maine) studies food and food writing as a way to understand the lived experience of early American women. Focused on the 18th Century, this interview examines women’s kitchen labor, Amelia Simmons, author of the first American cookbook, and the ritual of baking Election Cake.
Lindsay Reinpold (History-UTEP), a recent graduate of the MA program at UTEP and middle school history teacher discusses female soldiers in the American Revolution. Her study of Elizabeth Zane, Margaret Cochran Corbin, and Deborah Sampson uncovers details of their lives and service while providing analysis of the influence of gender norms during the revolution and these women’s lives afterward.
Dr. Kristen Hillaire Glasgow (Ph.D. History, U.C.L.A.) discusses Charlotte Forten, a young woman of color in the 1850s who is an anti-slavery activist. Using Forten’s diary of her teenaged years as a focal point, Glasgow examines her thoughts and perspective shedding new light on the abolition movement.
Dr. Angela Keysor (Allegheny College, History) examines illness and its treatment during the eighteenth Century in British North America, with a particular focus on smallpox epidemics. As we experience a pandemic in the twenty-first century, how different was the colonial American experience and it what ways is it the same.
Dr. Holly Pinheiro (Augusta University, History) discusses the impact of the Civil War on African American soldiers and their families based on his forthcoming book from the University of Georgia Press. Dr. Pinheiro examines why men enlisted, how they were treated, and the ways their service shaped families during the war and beyond.
Dr. Timothy Johnson (University of Minnesota, Political Science) is interviewed about the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison(1803). Beyond the significance of Judicial Review, the legal doctrine established in this decision, Johnson describes the development of the Court during the early republic and explains the politics behind this decision.
Robert Diaz (UTEP-History) is interviewed about how the war with Mexico was experienced in the El Paso area as well as the fluidity of borders both at the time of this war and in more recent history. The Battle of Brazito is also discussed.
Dr. Brad Cartwright (UTEP-History) is interviewed about the political controversy over the Mexico-U.S. War, how the war was protested, and the lasting impact of this war.
Dr. Brian Yothers (UTEP-English) and Brad Cartwright (UTEP-History) are interviewed about Typee, Melville’s first novel. Using the book as a springboard the influence of Herman Melville is discussed as well as the attitudes of Americans about the South Pacific and Manifest Destiny.
Dr. Charles Martin (UTEP-History) is interviewed about the emergence of Texas as an independent nation and eventually it annexation by the United States. Dr. Martin looks at reasons for Texas independence, the role slavery played in the political aspects of the status of Texas, and some of the myths surrounding antebellum Texas.
Kevin Strombel (UTEP-History) is interviewed about the military aspects of the American Revolution. We examine weapons, strategy, and a comparison between the British and American aims in the war.
Dr. Lowry Martin (UTEP-Languages and Linguistics) is interviewed about the French presence in North America, including the Haitian Revolution, early French settlements and the cultural legacy of the French in North America.
Ligia Arguilez (UTEP-History) is interviewed about the Southwest plant, Creosote and its role in the past and present of the region. By looking at the history of plant we can imagine new ways of studying history and learn more about how this plant shapes the everyday lives of those in this area.