The most recent episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Dr. Thomas J. Balcerski of Eastern Connecticut State University about his New York History journal article “‘The Little Spark of Manhood I Have Left’: Governor Thomas Melville and the Aged Seamen of Sailors’ Snug Harbor,” and his recent monograph Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019).
Balcerski discussed his research into homosocial spaces, heavy-handed discipline, and conflicts and resistance at the Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island; evolving social responses to aging in America; the long road from graduate research paper to published article; the male friendships that shaped Antebellum politics — particularly that of James Buchanan and William Rufus King; historical assessments of the Buchanan presidency and the need for nuance in pondering Buchanan’s personal life and friendships; and the role of historians in the public sphere.
You can view the episode here.
Empire State Engagements is a long-form interview program created and hosted by Dr. Robert Chiles. It features conversations with historians of all aspects of New York State. Visit www.empirestateengagements.com for a full list of episodes.
For a full list of this week’s New York Almanack podcasts announcements click HERE.
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