History - Karen A. Chase

Martha Washington, Aide-de-camp

March 14, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

Women in History: Telling a More Complete Story

The Martha We Learn About

I remember visiting Colonial Williamsburg when I first moved to Virginia. A reenactor spoke to our tour group about all Martha Washington accomplished during her life. Land holdings inherited from a first husband, passed via coverture to the second, George. Childbirth. Hostess to hundreds of visitors at Mount Vernon each year. During one particular hog-season, she oversaw the slaughter and smoking of 50 hams.

This five-foot-nothin’ Virginian had always been shown to me as a noble, rosy-cheeked woman who would become our first First Lady. Not once had I ever heard her being referred to as an aide-de-camp.

Martha as Aide-de-camp, No. 33

In 1776, aides-de-camp were all men—officers in the Continental Army who were General Washington’s private secretaries or couriers, who gathered intelligence, or handled Washington’s correspondence and social affairs. There were 32 in all. Until 1906.

That year, Worthington Chauncey Ford, chief of the Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress, reviewed Martha Washington’s role in the Cause. She often traveled with her husband and stayed at headquarters during the winter months, including Valley Forge in 1777, where she did more than simply improve morale through social events. She also fulfilled the role of clerical assistant to the general, contributing so much that Ford added Martha to the list.

While this designation is well-known among Revolutionary historians, for me that her contributions had been overshadowed for over 130 years—and never were they discussed in any of my American history classes—was a revelation. The lopsided history we’re often shown about the men winning the war, while the women smoked hams… well, that’s bologna. (To be sure, it was slaves who Martha was overseeing each hog-season, and their stories are thankfully getting deeper coverage in historic places now.)

Learning through my own studies that “contribution” is not tied to race, gender, or official rank has enabled me to feel quite free, especially as a “popular historian,” to chase history about lesser known roles, people, or events.

Besides, what could I possibly add to GW’s lexicon of life stories? According to biographer Ron Chernow, there are approximately 900 biographies about George. Plus over 6000 articles with his name in the title! Yeah… that’s enough already.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

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Washington’s Rules of Civility, No. 55

March 7, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

Out of Season Street Food

Though George Washington had some great, and common sense thoughts, not all of his Rules of Civility pass my taste test. Take number 55: “Eat not in the Streets, nor in the House, out of Season.”

While I champion eating seasonal fruits and vegetables as they are more likely to be from local farms, a plump raspberry popped in my mouth in the dead of winter is just the burst of spring I crave.

To be fair, in George’s day, without refrigeration, smoking or salting were the primary methods to preserve food. While finding a raspberry jam might have been possible, a salted berry… I suppose not.

Reading his No. 55 maxim another way, I wonder if G.W. would frown upon the immense satisfaction I get from eating street food. The food carts in Portland, OR. The vendors in midtown Manhattan. The lunch trucks right here in Richmond. With warmer days not far off, I can’t wait to plunk down on a downtown curb with one of my favorite Boka tacos in hand.

If GW were here today and he ate a Sabretts hot dog, while watching baseball, I suspect he’d pick up a pen and strike out number 55. (Once he removed the giant foam finger from his grease-stained hand.)

What do you eat out of season or out of doors?

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Thank you for joining me and learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Kris Spisak–On American Language

January 17, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of an American Language

A Guest Post by Kris Spisak.

When people think of the American revolution, freedom comes to mind—freedom, liberty, and independence from the necessity of following rules established without any thoughtful representation. But these ideals weren’t and aren’t limited to government. The English language itself went through its own revolution, with founding fathers such as Ben Franklin at the helm here too.

It was an era when “thee” and “thou” were just starting to decline in usage. Our “unalienable rights” were discussed rather than today’s standard “inalienable rights,” and “the” was more commonly written “ye” as a stand-in because the “th” sound no longer had a single alphabet letter to represent it as it once had.

The English language has continuously evolved for hundreds of years, but because the first print dictionaries were published in the 1600s and 1700s, this was an especially turbulent time for words.

Ben Franklin himself suggested that we create a new twenty-six letter alphabet, dropping the letters C, J, Q, W, X, and Y and adding in six new ones of his own creation. His new alphabet would allow, he said, for a phonetic reading of the entire English language. Many ignored him. Many others, like Noah Webster, took Franklin’s many language thoughts into consideration. Thus, when Webster’s American English dictionary was finally published in 1828, he included Franklin’s suggestions that the “u” be removed from “color,” “favorite,” and “honor” and that the “re” in “theatre” and “centre” should be reversed, among many other ideas. The differences between American English and British English were born of this celebration of reason and independent thought, but, of course, the story hardly end there.

The fact that Thomas Jefferson used linguistic ciphers in his correspondence with Merriweather Lewis during his great expedition westward with William Clark is a story for another day.

Kris Spisak wrote her first book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), with a goal to help writers of all kinds empower their communications. Her “Words You Should Know” podcast and “Grammartopia” events follow the same mission. A former college writing instructor, having taught at institutions including the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University, Kris now works as a freelance editor, specializing in fiction. She is on is on the board of directors of James River Writers, is the co-founder and director of creative strategy of Midlothian Web Solutions, and can’t wait for you to hear about her next book. Sign up for her monthly writing and communications newsletter for more tips and trivia like this.

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Alphabet anecdotes and language-based ciphers also play a role in my American Revolutionary novel Carrying Independence, debuting in summer of 2019.

For research related to the novel and to stay updated on Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-news publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Thank you for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

Rachel Pater–A Walking Tour for Justice

January 10, 2019 By Karen A. Chase

The Life and Times of Elizabeth Van Lew

A Guest Post by Rachel Pater.

After 20 years in the Midwest and 10 years in the Wild West, my partner and I landed in Richmond, Virginia in 2016. Prior to moving here, I had little knowledge about the Civil War—even less about Richmond’s role in it.

Like many others, the way I can best access history is through narratives from or about people who lived through specific periods of time. Since moving here, my portal to Civil War times has been through the life of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Unionist Spy who lived in Church Hill.

Elizabeth’s story took a hold in me, and I knew I wanted to share it. And so, in collaboration with a few musicians and the Richmond Story House, we recorded an audio narrative of her story (hear a sample here). You can now take this 70-minute, 2-mile, downloadable walking tour on your own time, by yourself or with a group. The tour starts and ends at St. John’s Church in Church Hill.

Elizabeth’s Significance Then and Now

Following the fall of Richmond, Ulysses S. Grant said that Elizabeth Van Lew provided him with “the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.” Her lessons continue to provide us with knowledge of our city’s participation in the slave trade and the Civil War, challenging participants to make connections between this history and the insidious forms of racism still alive in our city and world today.

Proceeds from the tour go directly to expanding our work in the Richmond City Justice Center, where we run weekly personal narrative workshops. Download the Van Lew Tour and see a slideshow here.

Rachel Pater is the Founder of Richmond Story House. Visit Richmond Story House for the tour, workshops, and also information on volunteering and donations.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged––by academics, historians, authors, artists, and storytellers. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Washington’s Rules of Civility, No. 110

December 19, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

The Spirit of Giving

I heard this morning that some people don’t like Christmas (or the holiday season in general) because it’s not about them. Sigh… That’s entirely missing the point of the season and of George Washington’s maxim No. 110 from his “Rules of Civility.”

Generosity toward others begins with having a filter to sort out whether we are behaving admirably or not. Also known as a conscience.

Checking in with our inner voice during the holidays, might prevent us from saying things aloud that might dim the light around our dining room tables. Perhaps it might make the fires in our hearts burn a little warmer as we go into the new year, too.

Happy holidays to you all. Make memories, scatter joy.

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Thank you for joining me and learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

National Bill of Rights Day

December 14, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

In honor of National Bill of Rights Day (December 15), a guest post by historian and author Tony Williams.

James Madison and Bill of Rights Day

On June 8, 1789, during the First Congress, Representative James Madison arose on the floor of the House and made a speech introducing amendments that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.

963px-Bill_of_Rights_Pg1of1_AC — Bill of Rights via the National Archives

Madison had previously thought the Bill of Rights was unnecessary.

And yet, during an exchange with Thomas Jefferson, Madison started to change his mind and admitted that a bill of rights could help the liberties become ingrained in the American character.

Madison began his June 8 speech by appealing to the spirit of compromise: “We ought not to disregard their inclination, but, on principles of amity and moderation, conform to their wishes, and expressly declare the great rights of mankind secured under this constitution.”

Madison teaches us a lesson about moderation.

James_Madison_KarenAChase — James Madison Portrait via Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division, digital ID cph.3a53278.

“If we can make the constitution better in the opinion of those who are opposed to it, without weakening its frame, or abridging its usefulness, in the judgment of those who are attached to it, we act the part of wise and liberal men.”

Madison became the “Father of the Bill of Rights” as he skillfully guided the amendments through the Congress during the summer of 1789. Virginia became the last state to ratify on December 15, 1791.

This Bill of Rights Day affords Americans an opportunity to reflect on the basis of their rights and their form of government as well as the compromise and spirit of moderation that enabled them to protect their inalienable rights.

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Tony Williams is Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute, and author of Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America and Hamilton: An American Biography. You can also follow him on Facebook.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Rice and Slavery in Colonial America

December 12, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

Not the Land o’ Cotton

A Guest Post by Susan Keogh

When most Americans think of the Old South, they envision the cotton plantations of Gone with the Wind or Roots. Most think cotton was all the South produced. They might also think of tobacco growing. But I would wager few outside South Carolina think of rice.

Rice_SusanKeogh — A demonstration rice field at Middleton Plantation in South Carolina, photo taken by Susan Koegh as part of her research.

How important was Rice in the Revolutionary South?

“Nowhere in the Americas did rice play such an important economic role as in South Carolina,” writes author Judith A. Carney in her book, Black Rice. “Rice and South Carolina share a history that led to the establishment of the crop early in its settlement… On the eve of the American Revolution… rice exports from South Carolina exceeded sixty million pounds annually.”

Who Introduced Rice to the Colonies?

To work the fields of this labor-intensive crop, English planters in Carolina used slaves brought from Africa. While some Colonists may have claimed credit for introducing rice to Carolina, the more likely source was the slaves who were born and raised along Africa’s Rice Coast and provided the knowledge of rice cultivation.

Carney writes: “About a hundred slaves accompanied the first settlers arriving in South Carolina from Barbados in 1670; within two years they formed one-fourth of the colony’s population, and by 1708 blacks outnumbered whites.”

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Susan first published a series of novels centered around the adventures of Jack Mallory, a young Englishmen who is both pirate and eventually the patriarch of a large rice plantation in the colonial province of Carolina.

Her latest book, THE DRIVER’S WIFE, set in 17th Century South Carolina, is available now. Follow her via: Facebook, Twitter, or on her blog.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Christian Di Spigna Reexamines History

December 6, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

The Generous Benedict Arnold

A Guest Post by Christian Di Spigna

To many Americans, the name Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason and treachery. The former American patriot hero flipped sides and became a spy in the employ of the Crown. When Arnold’s betrayal was uncovered in 1780, it shocked and pained patriot sons and daughters of liberty.

Many historians have claimed that one of Arnold’s motivations for becoming a traitor was financial. Yet such a rationale betrays an incredible act of generosity that Arnold bestowed upon the young orphaned children of Dr. Joseph Warren, the martyred hero of the Bunker Hill battle.

Arnold and Warren had met briefly and befriended each other in the spring of 1775. Arnold’s wife died that June—the same month Warren was killed in action, leaving Arnold a widower with young children of his own.

A remarkable letter written by Warren’s fiancé, Mercy Scollay, to Benedict Arnold in July 1780 has uncovered the fact that Arnold had personally given nearly 3,000 pounds for the education and care of Warren’s orphaned children in the years since his battlefield death.

This kindness contradicts Arnold’s motivation of greed. It adds an additional layer to the many complexities surrounding the man. None of Dr. Joseph Warren’s patriot brethren—including future American governors and presidents—provided Warren’s children such financial support. Perhaps now, centuries later, Arnold’s historical lens needs some refocusing.

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You can attend events with author and historian Christian Di Spigna (listing via his website) or connect via Twitter. His newest book Founding Martyr is about Dr. Joseph Warren, an architect of the colonial rebellion, and a man who might have led the country as Washington or Jefferson did had he not been martyred at Bunker Hill in 1775. It’s available online, and at bookstores via IndieBound.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts like this one are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Ancestry and the American Revolution

November 29, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

Genealogy and the Daughters of the American Revolution

Many of my friends––and even family––are surprised to find out that I am a DAR. After all, I’m Canadian! Yet, it’s true.

Three of my grandparents were from the United States, and on my mother’s side, I’ve fully traced my lineage back to Jacob G. Klock––a senator during the American Revolutionary War. The DAR database helped me find my ancestors, via all those who have joined the DAR from the Jacob Klock line.

*The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution*, a 1929 marble sculpture by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. It is located beside DAR Constitution Hall, headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution, in Washington, D.C.

Ancestry DNA plus the DAR

Many of us this holiday season, me included, are hoping to have our DNA tests done to help us further define our heritage. (Right now Ancestry.com has a holiday discount for gifting such tests.)

But DNA, and who we’re related to, is only part of our history. Understanding how or if our family’s contributed to who we’ve become as a nation is where the online database through the DAR comes in.

According to the DAR, “the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) includes free online databases containing information on Revolutionary patriot ancestors, descendants of those patriots, as well as the vast array of genealogical resources from the DAR Library.” You do not have to be a member to search the database.

Minority Revolutionary Patriots

The DAR is changing, for the better. More minorities––African Americans, Spanish, Native Americans, and others––are joining as a result of sources and initiatives the DAR helps provide. Advice and options for tracing minority patriots can be found here.

Have you had your DNA test done? Were you surprised by the results?

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.

Native American Storytellers

November 19, 2018 By Karen A. Chase

StorytellersFilmFest4_KarenAChase

November is National Native American History month. This past weekend was Richmond’s Native American Storytellers Film Festival, Pocahontas Reframed. As evidenced by the events and films showcased this weekend, the festival, “stems from a passion and desire for indigenous languages, cultures, and societies to thrive.”

Themes from the Storytellers Film Festival

From a film by Edward S. Curtis from 1914 that has been remastered, through shorts films, to full-length feature films––all focus was on sharing insights into the Indian experience (both past and present). A few themes stood out. A history shared is a history embraced. Storytelling is a human experience that we need to nurture, not suppress. All voices matter if we are to progress.

Enabling Authentic Storytelling

To help these themes become reality, it means empowering those who can tell their stories authentically. It means allowing room for other voices on the page, behind the camera, or at the microphone. It means providing funding. And education. Pamela Pierce, CEO of Silver Bullet Productions is doing all three. Her organization provides workshops for tribal students to teach them film-making, production, and storytelling. All the equipment––cameras, laptops, and more––are provided and then given to the students so they can then create using their voices.

As Adrian Baker states in his film INJUNUITY, “In a world searching for answers it is time we turned to Native wisdom for guidance.”

What Native wisdom or story guides you? Or do you seek more?

One of the dancers from the opening night social event.

Michael Horse, Emcee of the film festival. Artist, actor, and activist, he’s appeared in several films and television shows, including Twin Peaks, and the CBC Canadian series, North of 60.

The panel discussion that was part of the opening night, held at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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Thanks for sharing in the spirit of learning about our collective American History by subscribing to the blog. Guest posts are welcomed and encouraged. Contact me for details.

For Karen-related author research tidbits, book news and events, subscribe to my e-publication, CHASING HISTORIES.