Boston Athenaeum Author of the Month

I am excited to announce that the Boston Athenaeum selected me as their "Author of the Month." Over the last 2+ years, the Athenaeum has become like a second home. I joined the institution because of its reputation for being a great and inspiring place to work. They also have university-like interlibrary loan services, which I need given how many obscure and specialty titles I request.

As "Author of the Month," the Athenaeum asked me to answer a few questions about my research, Ben Franklin's World, my favorite podcasts and Twitter follows, and why I study early American history.

My favorite part of the interview was trying to explain why I became a historian of early America. I became fascinated with early America because I grew up in an old, New England  town and because my parents cultivated an interest in history.

My parents never took my brother and me on beach vacations (it's okay, we both turn red just thinking about sun exposure). Instead, we enjoyed cultural vacations around New England and the United States.

Also, Mom and Dad granted us an allowance in books instead of cash. We became voracious readers as a result. (We earned the money we wanted for other things by doing chores and delivering newspapers.)

All my reading, combined with trips to museums, historic sites, and national parks, ensured that I learned how to ask "why" and where I might find the answers to my questions.

You can read the full interview on the Athenaeum's website.

Awesome Boston Views

On Saturday December 5, 2015, Tim and I attended the annual Google Holiday Party.

Each year, Google hosts its holiday party in a different location. My favorite event is still the "Prohibition Repeal Day" themed party at the Moakley Court House in 2012, but this year's event at 60 State Street is a close second.

Although the "Masquerade" theme seemed a bit confused, the views of night-time Boston were incredible.

I did my best to capture the views with my smartphone camera. I hope you enjoy.

What Are Your Strengths?

What character attributes make you "you" and good at what you do? Lately, I have fielded a lot of questions about what I am doing with my digital history scholarship, my career, and my future. These questions have made me turn inward and ask: How do I articulate who I am, why I am good at what I do, and where I am going with my work?

As an avid podcast listener (I am a podcast junkie), I have heard many business podcasters mention the Gallup [simpleazon-link asin="159562015X" locale="us"]StrengthsFinder 2.0[/simpleazon-link] book and test. Based upon psychologist Donald O. Clifton's 40-years of research, StrengthsFinder 2.0 helps people recognize and better articulate their strengths of character.

The test consists of numerous questions that each taker must answer in 20 seconds or less. The whole test takes about 30 minutes to complete. The 2.0 part of the test involves the computer, which takes your answers, compares them with 34 of the most common strengths, and then produces a report that shows you your top 5 strengths and articulates what they mean for most people.

Admittedly, I was skeptical: Could a single test and computer algorithm tell me about my character? Could it help me articulate the essence of what makes me unique?

Much to my surprise the answer is "yes." The test articulated why I am obsessed with history, driven to succeed, and why I become discontented if I don't have some idea or problem to turn over in my head.

My Top 5 Strengths

1. Context: "You look back to understand the present...It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains stability...you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure."

I guess this explains why I love history and why I became a historian.

2. Learner: "Whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you...You thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked...to learn a lot about new subject matter in a short period of time."

This makes sense. I prefer to hang out with brilliant people and I often seek to learn new skills, ideas, and technologies.

3. Achiever: "Achiever describes a constant need for achievement...By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by "every day" you mean every single day--workdays, weekends, vacations....After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment."

Honestly, I am shocked "achiever" didn't score number 2. I feel like I need to work all the time; I am happiest when I am working.

Before I took this test, someone asked me to describe my ability to accomplish all that I do. I compared myself to a racehorse. At first I stand in the starting gate starting down the field. This is my planning mode. I figure out what I need to do and how I am going to do it. Once I devise my plan of action, I bolt out of the open gate and run at full speed until I reach my goal. After I reach the finish line, I get back in the gate to run a different race.

via GIPHY 

4. Individualization: "Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalization or "types"...you instinctively observe each person's style, each person's motivation, how each thinks, and how each person builds relationships...Because you are such a keen observer of other person's strengths, you can draw out the best in each person."

Individualization combined with my "Learner" strength articulates why I lead a rich interdisciplinary life; why I am a hybrid historian. I enjoy spending time with diverse groups of people. I appreciate how they have different interests from me. I may not always agree with their ideas, but I value them.

5. Analytical: "You Analytical theme challenges other people: "Prove it. Show me why what you are claiming is true"...You see yourself as objective and dispassionate. You like data because they are value free...Armed with these data, you search for patterns and connections. You want to understand how certain patterns affect one another."

I see patterns. I make connections. I devise plans to make patterns and connections that need to be made. My analytical side is my skeptical side. The side that requires me to craft strong, cogent and evidence-based arguments. My "Analytical" strength often works with my "Context" strength. This collaboration is why I sometimes get lost among the trees of a project.

Conclusion

Knowing more about my inherent strengths has helped me better understand and articulate who I am, why I am drawn to the projects I undertake, and why I will always be pursuing new projects.

Have you taken the test or a similar one? What are your strengths of character? 

History, Baseball, and the Massachusetts Historical Society

Sometimes dreams come true.

If you have followed this blog for awhile, or connected with me on Twitter or Facebook, you know I am a diehard baseball fan. I root for the Boston Red Sox, a team I have followed since the 1986 season.

In 2011, my fondness for the sport, and the Sox, reached a new level of passion: After nearly 10 years of waiting, Tim and I became season ticket holders.

As season ticket holders, we earn points for each game we attend in person. We use those points to bid on experiences, like spending an inning inside the Green Monster (it was awesome!) or the opportunity to spend a day with one of the Red Sox's World Series trophies.

On October 24, 2015 between 10am and 1pm, Tim and I will be spending our day with the 2004 World Series trophy at the Massachusetts Historical Society. We would love for you to join us.

We hope that by bringing the trophy to the MHS, we will encourage friends, family, and strangers to visit this wonderful organization and to take some time to explore its fantastic history exhibits, which on October 24 will include a special pop-up display of early baseball items from the MHS's collections.

Please come and enjoy a wonderful day of history and baseball.

Also, please help spread the word about this event.

Archive Pay Dirt: Americans in Albany

Eureka! I found it! I am in New York City this week conducting research at the New York Public Library. I also have a ticket to see Hamilton the Musical.

My research goal for the trip: find information about the role the people of Albany played during Sullivan's Campaign of 1779 and the Native American and Loyalist raids between 1780-1782.

If you read my dissertation, you would be surprised to learn that the War for Independence in Albany ended with the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. (Don't always believe what you read.)

Yesterday, I went through the Henry Glen Papers. Henry Glen lived in Schenectady and served as a Deputy Quarter Master General throughout the war. As I went through this small collection and read over supply requests, orders, and personal correspondence, I stumbled upon a letter to Glen from Jeremiah Lansingh of Albany.

Dated 6 July 1778, the letter conveys intelligence from the Battle of Monmouth.  Some of the intelligence is wrong, but Lansingh discusses how "our troops" caused the enemy to retreat. Moreover, he ended his letter with the following sentence:

"I don't doubt but our Troops will keep up the old Maxim (Work well begun is half ended) And may they make an End of them All [British soldiers], is the sincere Wish & one who glories in the Name of an American and is your humble Servt.

Jerh Lansingh"

For more than 10 years I have searched for a statement by someone from Albany that explicitly stated they viewed themselves as an American. I never thought I would find one, but I held hope. Unlike my dissertation, my book won't have to deal in abstractions. I made a convincing case before, but now I have a real statement.