This week didn’t see much work on Chapter One because I was writing that paper for Antebellum America, which will eventually form the bulk of a later chapter. The paper’s title was “‘Nurseries of intemperance, disorder and profligacy’: The Humane Society’s Early Temperance Movement in New York City.” It partially focuses on contrasts between an 1810 temperance movement and later temperance reform (1820s-1840s). That kind of analysis will probably become a footnote, but the bulk of the writing will remain intact. Out of a sixteen-page paper, I estimate that ten pages will be weaved into the thesis. Which means . . .
AS OF TODAY, I HAVE COMPLETED TEN PAGES OF A THESIS! WOOOO!!!!!
Thank you for allowing that moment of exuberance. Just to give an idea of what this paper was all about, here’s the thesis: “The Humane Society’s early motion for temperance reform represents an attempt by patrician New Yorkers to harness their own power to preserve a republican vision that they, at the top of society, saw beginning to falter.”
Actually, there was one other important development this week. On Monday I received the October issue of the WMQ, which held a special surprise: an essay by UCLA historian Michael Meranze, entitled “Culture and Governance: Reflections on the Cultural History of Eighteenth-Century British America.” Meranze advocates a “refocusing” of cultural history in light of the eighteenth-century definition of “culture,” given by one 1755 dictionary as “the act of cultivation; the act of tilling the ground; tillage.” Culture was an active process that legitimated the right to govern–a “technique of growth and direction.” And in early America, Meranze says, culture was central “because governance was up for grabs.”
This is something I can work with. Hotels, as I see them, were both expressions of culture and venues for cultivation. Except for the very earliest ones, hotels were aesthetic compositions–purpose-built objects of architectural beauty that intended to intimidate some and ennoble others. They hosted concerts, balls, lavish dinners, and meetings of all manner of associations. They tilled within many the senses of virtue and prerogative. They helped to legitimate governance.
I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on this. At the moment, I think Meranze’s article will form a sounding board for my introduction and conclusion.
Moving on. To do this week:
- Collect travel narratives of visitors to New York from 1780-1825 (tonight’s task, as I’m in more of an administrative than analytical mood)
- Finish Upton, Another City
- Outline the literature review for my Introduction
- Begin writing Chapter One (!!!)
On a note only tangential to the thesis, I suffered a minor spazz attack yesterday with the joint realization that not only do I need to find a job for the next year or two, but also–far more terrifyingly–I won’t have an excuse to sit at the Grind all day and read. Alack! Crimmins was privy to about ten minutes of it; thanks for commiserating 
I think that point about culture is important. A lot of people don’t realize that culture is constantly changing and morphing as a result of a variety of influences and conditions. The cultural role of hotels could be a very interesting point to make. Just be careful not to assign too much agency to the architecture, as vernacular hotels (if these hotels are your subject rather than the more ornate ones) may not have been designed by master builders and therefore probably would have sacrificed cultural symbols and meaning for economy of construction. But definitely a point worth exploring.