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Proprietors documents to NJ State Archives
Documents related to the mostly Quaker settlement of Colonial West Jersey have been donated to the New Jersey State Archives from the 330-year-old Proprietors Council of West Jersey, founded by William Penn. Among the materials is the 1677 "Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of West Jersey in America" which establishes a democratic elected form of government and calls for, among other things, equal rights for women, the education of girls, trial by jury and fair treatment of Native Americans. (Announced in The Star-Ledger).
Posted by John Anderies at December 15, 2005 07:08 PM
Robert Pleasants letterbook, 1754-1797
Emily Higgs, a student assistant in Special Collections, has completed an annotated index to the Robert Pleasants letterbook, a part of the records of Baltimore Yearly Meeting (item #168). Pleasants (1722-1801), a member of Curles Monthly Meeting, Virginia Yearly Meeting, is known for his work as an abolitionist. He freed his eighty slaves and urged the ratification of a law proposing gradual emancipation for the children of slaves. Pleasants established the Gravelly Hill School for the free children of slaves. The letterbook covers the period 1754-1797 and centers on matters of religion and abolition. We anticipate making the letterbook web-accessible in the near future.
Posted by Diana Franzusoff Peterson at December 14, 2005 09:11 AM
What Franklin can teach us about Web 2.0
Technologist Josh Peterson talks in this podcast at Seattle's "Idea Day" about how the current development known as Web 2.0 can be explained by the thoughts and actions of Benjamin Franklin. Web 2.0 has been described as "a social phenomenon referring to an approach to creating and distributing Web content itself, characterised by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and re-use, and 'the market as a conversation'."
Posted by John Anderies at December 5, 2005 02:11 PM
David Waldstreicher, December 7, 4 pm
The Franklin Speaker Series concludes Wednesday, December 7 at 4 pm, Magill Library, Philips Wing. David Waldstreicher, Professor of History at Temple University, is the author of Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery and American Revolution. He will speak on the topic of Franklin, Quakerism and Slavery. Free and open to the public.
Posted by John Anderies at December 1, 2005 08:31 PM
Staff Attend Geo History Conference
Diana Franzusoff Peterson, College Archivist & Manuscripts Librarian, and John Anderies, Coordinator for Special & Digital Collections, will be attending the conference "Future Foundations: Mapping the Past - Building the Philadelphia GeoHistory Network" sponsored by the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, December 2-3, 2005.
Posted by John Anderies at December 1, 2005 08:15 PM