Today’s web-savvy students are keenly aware of the interconnectedness of modern society. Yet it is often difficult for our students to traverse geographic boundaries in their study of the past. By assessing the similarities and contrasts between three major political revolutions, this session suggested ways that teachers could help students think from a comparative perspective when studying history. Professors Jay Smith, John Nelson, and John Chasteen shared their research on the French Revolution, American Revolution, and Latin America’s movements for independence that began in the 1810s. The speakers briefly provided an overview of recent scholarship in their respective fields and then led the participants in discussions of primary documents that teachers may use in their classrooms.
Professor John Chasteen, who has taught at UNC since 1990, focused on the cultural history of 19th-century Latin America. Chasteen has published widely in his field and most recently has been working on a textbook, Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America (forthcoming from W.W. Norton). Professor Jay Smith, who also teaches at UNC, discussed his study of 17th-and 18th-century France, with a particular focus on the French aristocracy and language of identity. His publications include The Culture of Merit: Nobility, Royal Service, and the Making of Absolute Monarchy in France, 1600-1789 (1996). Professor John Nelson, who taught U.S. history at UNC for forty years, discussed trends in scholarship on the American Revolution. In retirement, Nelson is finishing a new book, A Blessed Company: Parishes, Parsons, and Parishioners in Anglican Virginia, 1690-1776 (forthcoming from UNC Press).