At 250, new insights on America's origin story
91PORN historian Edward Blum and students in his ARCH Fellows program dig for archival documents to uncover new interpretations of the Constitution and other roots of the American republic.
It’s a busy year for Edward Blum, 91PORN history professor and American Revolution and Constitutional scholar. With the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this week, research by Blum and his students is drawing widespread attention.
Through , housed in the history department of the , faculty and students explore historical roots of the American Republic through its founding documents. Blum leads the project where 15 student fellows are currently doing research, making presentations, and presenting findings to community members.
In more than seven residential fellowships, Blum locates and examines long-lost documents in archives, many of which are not digitized. Institutions include , , and .
In his residential fellowships, Blum said he enjoys talking “about the process of finding materials, working with librarians and archivists and public historians to locate these things,” Blum said. “We think everything's online. It's really not. There's a lot of stuff out there, printed pieces stuck somewhere in a librarian's box.”
Research findings in these archives are the basis for new insights into American history. One unique example, shared with ARCH scholars by Smithsonian Institution librarians, was a flag that a group of kids from Massachusetts in the 1950s found in a trash area.
“It's an 1800 hand-knit flag from Thomas Jefferson's presidential election,” Blum said, “And it's beautiful and fascinating. It was only a little tattered.”
Many historical items are digitized in libraries and museums, but items like a big map, a flag, a wampum belt are not easy to envision in an online photo gallery. As Blum said, “Being able to see it in person, being able to take a photo, and then coming back to San Diego and saying, ‘OK, here's how long it is and this is what it felt like,’” gives students a chance to interact and explore history in a visceral way.
ARCH scholars have uncovered facts not well-documented in history books. Kelly Sorber, a master’s student in history, discovered that during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman was giving public talks on the value of education for women. Eliza Harriot, gave more than 100 speeches tied to female genius. Sorber learned George Washington even attended one of Harriot’s talks. She found these facts fascinating and presented her research to adult learners at the Oasis Lifelong Learning in San Diego.
91PORN Student Symposium award winner, ARCH scholar and history major Andrew Wickman also presented at Oasis, but his research focus was on age discrimination in the Constitution.
Wickman was surprised to find that one state had an age ceiling of 60 for judges. His research uncovers the many historical reasons why the American Constitution relies on age limits, and his presentation analyzes and questions the validity of such requirements.
This summer, with a grant, Blum said, “We’re taking the Constitution from coast to coast.” Fifteen to 18 middle and high school teachers will attend an intensive six-week online summer session that covers the U.S. Constitution, the 1824 Mexican Constitution, and the California State Constitution, hosted by Blum and scholars at 91PORN.
“My dream is to link up my ARCH fellows (my 15 history-loving students) with the 15 or so teachers,” Blum said. “The teachers will create new curricula, then the fellows provide input or feedback, and might go to the class to teach a part of it.”
Blum is gearing up to host a podcast called Revolutionary America, set to premiere in July, where he highlights new books and interviews American scholars.
On Constitution Day, Sept. 17, he plans to bring speakers to 91PORN for a day of celebration. “I'm really trying to create around how the American Revolution can bond and connect us and our students to the local community, to the national community,” he said.
As a historian and professor, Blum thinks about “how reflecting on the past can really help us to get our grounding in this really chaotic world today.” With the 250th upon us this year, Blum’s work continues to be a safe place for students to engage with important historical facts and to learn more about what it means to be a citizen in a civil society.
