American History
Grand Concourse Considered for NYC's Next Historic District
Posted by FUPress in American History, New York on June 25th, 2010
The city is considering designating part of the Grand Concourse in the Bronx a historic district in recognition of the area’s distinctive Art Deco architecture, as well as the singular role the Concourse has played in the history of the Bronx (NYT, Cityroom Blog).
The proposed Grand Concourse Historic District in the Bronx passed a hurdle, too, completing its mandatory public hearing on Tuesday, bringing it one step closer to actual designation. Other finalized landmarks include two Bronx structures: the seven-story Haffen building in Melrose, and the Noonan Plaza Apartments on 168th Street, considered one of the best Art Deco rental complexes in the Bronx.
Traveling the Concourse today offers a lesson in architecture, history, and sociology as you see the faces and places that call it home. It is truly New York, but more important, authentically the Bronx. You can’t experience the Bronx until you travel the Grand Boulevard and Concourse, and Fordham University Press’s book, Intersections: The Grand Concourse at 100 Years gives you this opportunity.
To read more about the Grand Concourse, see the June 22, 2010 article,“As Concourse Regains Luster, City Notices”, fromThe New York Times.
Lecture on the Lincoln Assassination
Posted by FUPress in American History, Civil War, New York on June 13th, 2010
Fordham University Press invites you to a multi-media presentation
“You are there at Lincoln’s New York City Funeral”
by Richard Sloan
contributor to
The Lincoln Assassination: Crime and Punishment, Myth and Memory, A Lincoln Forum Book Edited by Harold Holzer, Craig L. Symonds, and Frank J. WIlliams.
Monday, June 14, 2010
6-8 p.m.
Fordham University
113 West 60th Street
Lowenstein Building, 12th Floor Lounge
NYC
Today Marks the 145th Anniversary of the Lincoln Assassination
Posted by FUPress in American History, American Studies, Civil War, History on April 14th, 2010
On April 14, 1865, just days after the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in a bloody act of rebellion that stirred the world and shaped a nation’s identity. Harold Holzer, premier Lincoln scholar, together with co-editors Craig L. Symonds and Frank J. Williams, has added a book of essays examining the cultural, historical, and political impact of this event to his already extensive body of work on Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Assassination: Crime and Punishment, Myth and Memory , forthcoming in June, offers a close look at the assassination itself and the immediate aftermath, chronicling the pursuit and prosecution of the conspirators–a relentless period that isn’t often written about. All of the contributors are leading Lincoln scholars, and each essay offers a new perspective on an event that shook a still-fledgling nation.
Now in paperback, Summers with Lincoln: Looking for the Man in the Monuments won the 2009 J. Owen Grundy History Award for its provoking look at what the 200 statues erected in Lincoln’s honor mean to us as Americans. James Percoco, a high school history teacher, embarked on a journey spanning four summers and an entire country, seeking t
o understand the significance behind Lincoln’s being the single most commemorated American in history. Along the way, he documents each monument’s history and impact in the community, discovering the human stories behind the immutable stone. Acclaimed author and Civil War historian James M. McPherson says of the book, “This splendid evocation of Lincoln’s image in sculpture combines poetic description, human-interest anecdotes, and incisive analysis. James Percoco shows how the different styles of public art shed light on the changing memories of our greatest president. Each chapter alone is worth the price of this book.”
Nearly 150 years ago today
Posted by FUPress in American History, Civil War, History on April 12th, 2010
The Civil War began at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. It was April 12, 1861, and Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter, sparking the infamous “War Between States,” a conflict that would last almost exactly four long, bloody, harrowing years. The Civil War galvanized America’s identity and has shaped our culture and memory. Fordham is publishing several titles on the Civil War and its aftermath this spring–check them out!
Union Combined Operations in the Civil War studies ten cases in which there were combined Army-Navy operations by Union forces. It’s a unique perspective on a subject that’s been both exhaustively studied and written about.
The Doom of Reconstruction: The Liberal Republicans in the Civil War Era is Andrew Slap’s analysis of the 1872 presidential election–an in-depth look at the struggle between Ulysses S. Grant and Horace Greeley for control of the Republican party. Slap posits, however, that the election represented more than this leadership struggle; rather, it shaped the fate of Reconstruction, and hence, the fate of the nation as a whole.
German-Americans typically don’t figure prominently in conversations about the Civil War. However, in Chancellorsville and the Germans: Nativism, Ethnicity, and Civil War Memory Christian B. Keller presents the infamous Battle of Chancellorsville from the German-American perspective, delving into letters, regimental records, memoirs, and German-language newspapers from the period. The book challenges the misunderstood notion that the Union’s defeat in the battle was largely due to German immigrants fleeing the battle scene and examines the long-lasting effects on German-American identity.
The Great Task Remaining Before Us: Reconstruction as America’s Continuing Civil War examines the monumental impact that the Civil War had on the national political and social landscape, not only during the War, but before and after as well. It dispels the notion that the Civil War ended with General Lee’s surrender and posits that the period known as Reconstruction was just as fraught with racial and political tensions and hatreds as during the War itself.
Freedwomen and the Freedmen’s Bureau: Race, Gender, and Public Policy in the Age of Emancipation examines the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands (commonly referred to as the “Freedmen’s Bureau”) and its relationship to women during post-Civil War Reconstruction. The Bureau was created and tasked with helping assimilate former slaves into American daily life–a gargantuan task. However, little has been written about the Bureau’s work in relation to the women it directly affected, a fact which Mary Farmer-Kaiser, the book’s author, believes has done a great disservice to the agency, its legacy, and understanding of American history. 
Lastly, no study of the Civil War would be complete without a book about Abraham Lincoln. Harold Holzer’s latest, The Lincoln Assassination: Crime and Punishment, Myth and Memory, examines the infamous presidential assassination and its echoing significance throughout American memory and culture. In addition to detailing the assassination, it follows the resulting search and prosecution of the murder conspirators, events which are much more complex than most realize.
NYT Book Review: New Biography on Pulitzer by James McGrath Morris
Posted by FUPress in American History, Communications, Journalism, Media Studies on April 7th, 2010
Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power
“This well-researched, exhaustive biography reads like a novel, with fleshed-out characters ranging from William Randolph Hearst to JohnGardarino, a penniless newsboy. It is the story of a man, but also of a time, when newsroom scores were sometimes settled with pistols, when anti-Semitism was the norm, when ‘out-of-work politicians became newspaper editors, and successful editors became elected politicians.’ Morris paints a vivid picture, portraying his subject as an ambitious, hotheaded, at times violent, often charitable man; a perfectionist, shrewd in matters of business yet cold in matters of the heart.”—The New York Times Book Review
James McGrath Morris spent five years working on Pulitzer: A Life in Politics, Print, and Power. His previous book, The Rose Man of Sing Sing: A True Tale of Life, Murder, and Redemption in the Age of Yellow Journalism (Fordham University Press), was selected as Washington Post Best Book of the Year for 2004 and was optioned as a film and released as a Random House Audio Book.
To read more about James McGrath Morris Click Here.
Celebrate St. Patrick and the Luck of the Irish with Fordham Press
Posted by FUPress in American History, Catholic Studies, Ethnic Studies, Music, New York on March 16th, 2010
The Feast of St. Patrick has its roots in traditional Christian culture in Ireland, and became an official holiday in the 1600s. In modern times, St. Patrick’s Day is more synonymous with green beer and corned beef than religion, but the connection with Ireland remains. Fordham has several titles that highlight Ireland, its culture, its people, and the Irish-American legacy.
From Salvatore Basile comes Fifth Avenue Famous, the story of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and its music–a stirring monument to one of the most iconic Catholic churches in America.
For another look at Catholicism in New York City, check out Catholics in New York: Society, Culture, and Politics 1808-1946 edited by Terry Golway. The book, copublished with the Museum of the City of New York, is a synthesis of rare images and essays that study the growth of the city’s largest Christian denomination.
Moving back across the pond, we have Ireland’s Art, Ireland’s History. Síghle Bhreathnach-Lynch, Curator of Irish Art at the National Gallery in Ireland, takes one of the first in-depth looks at how art has shaped the history of Ireland as a nation and a people.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the most revered poets of all-time, spent the last years of his life in Ireland. Hopkins in Ireland illustrates the man’s legacy both through his words and photos taken by the author, Michael Flecky, S.J., showing the places memorialized in his poems, journals, and letters.
Want more? Here are a few more titles:
The Other Bishop Berkeley: An Exercise in Re-enchantment
Victor Herbert: A Theatrical Life
To Bear Witness: A Journey of Healing and Solidarity
Fordham: A History and Memoir, Revised Edition
March is Women’s History Month!
Posted by FUPress in American History, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, History, Literature, Women's Studies on March 5th, 2010
March 2010 marks the 23rd annual National Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the countless achievements of women in the face of gender stereotypes and struggles for equality. The 2010 theme is “Writing Women Back into History,” a nod to the fact that most accounts of American history quite simply ignore women entirely.
Fordham Press is proud to feature several books honoring women’s contributions, past and present, to American history and culture. American Women, Italian Style: Italian Americana’s Best Writings on Women, forthcoming in July, is an essay collection which seeks to bring awareness to the successes and triumphs of the modern Italian American woman. With topics ranging from cookbooks, inventions, Jewish-Italian intermarriages, and entrepreneurship, the collection offers an in-depth look at modern womanhood from all angles.
Freedwomen and the Freedmen’s Bureau: Race, Gender, and Public Policy in the Age of Emancipation is Mary Farmer-Kaiser’s in-depth exploration of women’s instrumental role during Reconstruction and their relationship with the government.
Thinking in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt on Ethics and Politics is a comprehensive collection of Arendt’s writings and photos, highlighting the thinking of a pioneer in a field primarily dominated by men.
Fifth Avenue Famous
Posted by FUPress in American History, Categories, Catholic Studies, Music, New York on March 3rd, 2010
Easter Sunday, 1904. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the most famous church in America, is jammed with reporters as well as worshipers – all straining to see if the women in the choir loft are sobbing.
The cause of this commotion is a new Papal edict, intended to “reform” church music throughout the world, not only by changing the music itself . . . but by banning all women from all choirs, a decision that wouldn’t be reversed for over fifty years. With both Women’s History Month in March and the Easter holiday coming in April, this nearly-forgotten chapter in the story of New York, and St. Patrick’s, takes on striking new significance.
Photo of Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Director of the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Choir
Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, by Salvatore Basile, examines in depth not only this
incident, but the full story of musical life at the nation’s most famous church in the world’s most vibrant city. The book explores in deeply personal fashion the stories of musicians both well-known and unknown, and the men who helped to cement St. Patrick’s position in the music scene, often at the expense of their own lives. It’s a story of New York itself, ranging from small-scale musical scandals of the 19th century, to concerts that caused riots on Fifth Avenue, to groundbreaking radio and television broadcasts – to the moment, exactly a century after that shattering Papal edit of 1904, when the Cathedral came full circle to appoint a woman as its music director. For fans of New York, this book presents their city in a fascinating new light.
Join us for the official Book Launch on May 13th at 6 pm at Fordham’s Lowenstein Building, in the 12th Floor Lounge!
Old Glory
Posted by FUPress in American History, American Studies, Military History on February 21st, 2010
Friday, February 12 not only marked what would have been Abraham Lincoln’s 201st birthday but also the start of the Winter 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The United States has had a strong week, leading the medal count as of Sunday night. Wednesday was a particularly stellar showing for the US, with gold medals for Shani Davis in the men’s speedskating 1000 meters, Lindsey Vonn in women’s downhill alpine skiing, and Shaun White in the men’s snowboarding halfpipe. The weekend saw more victories for the United States, with golds for figure skater Evan Lysacek and skier Bode Miller, among others.
In the midst of the economic recession, bitter debates over healthcare reform, and soaring unemployment rates, it’s a refreshing reminder of American patriotism and pride.
As we celebrate the week sandwiched between Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday, we should remember all the things that make our country what it is. Here are a few upcoming titles that reflect on America and its history:
Fifth Avenue Famous: The Extraordinary Story of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
The Lincoln Assassination: Crime and Punishment, Myth and Memory
Civil Rights in New York City: From World War II to the Guiliani Era
The Great Task Remaining Before Us: Reconstruction as America’s Continuing Civil War
Freedwomen and the Freedmen’s Bureau: Race, Gender, and Public Policy in the Age of Emancipation
Union Combined Operations in the Civil War
Between the Bylines: A Father’s Legacy
Italian Folk: Vernacular Culture in Italian-American Lives
Fordham Press Celebrates President’s Day
Posted by FUPress in American History on February 15th, 2010
Today we celebrate our founding fathers with President’s Day! Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12–premier Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer’s new collection, The Lincoln Assassination: Crime and Punishment, Myth and Memory, is coming out in May, 2010. Co-edited with Craig L. Symonds and Frank J. Williams, the book examines the infamous presidential assassination and its echoing significance throughout American memory and culture. In addition to detailing the assassination, it follows the resulting search and prosecution of the murder conspirators, events which are much more complex than most realize. Harold Holzer is Senior Vice President for External Affairs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is one of the nation’s leading authorities on Lincoln and the political culture of the Civil War era. He serves as co-chairman of the U.S. Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. He has written, co-written, or edited 35 books. The contributors and editors of this collection are the top Lincoln scholars in the country.
Additional Lincoln books from Fordham Press include:
The Lincoln Forum: Rediscovering Abraham Lincoln
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates: The First Complete, Unexpurgated Text
Summers with Lincoln: Looking for the Man in the Monuments
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