Bruce Dearstyne

Bruce W. Dearstyne is a historian in Guilderland. He was formerly on the staff of the Office of State History and the State Archives as well as a professor at the University of Maryland. A revised edition of his book The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State’s History and his newest book, The Crucible of Public Policy: New York Courts in the Progressive Era, are being published in 2022 by SUNY Press.

Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

June 8, 2022 by Bruce Dearstyne 2 Comments

The History Channel’s new special on Theodore Roosevelt describes his victory in the 1904 presidential election but doesn’t even mention his Democratic opponent.

That was New York Court of Appeals’ former Chief Judge Alton B. Parker (1852-1926), probably the most neglected major party presidential candidate in U.S. history. Yet at the time of the election Parker was the leader of one of the nation’s two major political parties and one of the nation’s foremost judicial statesmen. [Read more…] about Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

May 5, 2022 by Bruce Dearstyne Leave a Comment

Planning has begun for commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, to be officially called the “Semiquincentennial.” The federal government has established America 250. A number of states, including Virginia have established state commissions. In Massachusetts it is called Revolution 250. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

We Should Celebrate New York State’s Birthday on April 20th

March 3, 2022 by Bruce Dearstyne 1 Comment

New Yorkers, and New York’s historical community in particular, should be gearing up to commemorate and promote New York State’s birthday on April 20th.

That was the date in 1777 when the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York, an ad hoc group elected the previous year to guide New York’s Revolutionary War efforts and develop its first constitution, completed its work. [Read more…] about We Should Celebrate New York State’s Birthday on April 20th

Syracuse Hero Jermain Loguen, Abolition & The Jerry Rescue

February 13, 2022 by Bruce Dearstyne 4 Comments

During Black History Month, it is useful to recall well-known Black Americans and also some not-so-well known. Jermain Loguen (1813-1872) fits a category of those who deserve more recognition and attention.

Born into slavery in Tennessee, he escaped to Canada (where slavery was outlawed) in 1834 and moved to Rochester in 1837 and then to Syracuse in 1841. He became a teacher and then a minister with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. An eloquent speaker, he used his sermons and public presentations to advocate abolition and resistance to slaveholders and to urge enslaved people to escape. Loguen had an apartment in his Syracuse home for freedom seekers and identified himself as “Underground Railroad Agent.” Loguen assisted more than 1,500 enslaved Black people to freedom, earning the informal title “King of the Underground Railroad” in Syracuse. [Read more…] about Syracuse Hero Jermain Loguen, Abolition & The Jerry Rescue

Crystal Eastman and New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law

January 5, 2022 by Bruce Dearstyne 3 Comments

Crystal Eastman (1881-1928) deserves more attention from historians. “In the early twentieth century, Crystal Eastman was one of the most conspicuous Progressive reformers in America,” says Amy Aronson, in her biography Crystal Eastman: A Revolutionary Life. “Her militant suffragism, insistent antimilitarism, gregarious internationalism, support of the Russian Revolution, and uncompromising feminism, led some in the press to brand her notorious.” Yet, “today she is less known than might be expected, especially given the rarity of a woman with such wide political influence and her continuing international legacy in so many high-profile struggles.”

This extraordinary progressive activist was a multi-issue advocate, an energetic researcher, a prolific writer, and a talented speaker. Much of her work was aimed at assembling evidence on issues and conditions, persuading others to act on that evidence, and showing them the path forward. Much of what she did was behind-the-scenes, setting up others for success and giving them the credit. Her role in creating New York’s workers’ compensation program, the first such state program in the nation, in 1910, is largely unknown. [Read more…] about Crystal Eastman and New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law

Bruce Dearstyne: Making Use of New York’s Usable Past

December 1, 2021 by Bruce Dearstyne 1 Comment

New York, the nation’s historically most important state, has a lot of history worth exploring and sharing more extensively. That history is particularly useful for perspective on current critical public issues.

Many of these are discussed in a historical vacuum, as if they have never been considered before. In fact they have, and history is a good place to start the discussion because it provides parallels, precedents, and perspectives. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: Making Use of New York’s Usable Past

4-20: New York State’s Forgotten Birthday

April 5, 2020 by Bruce Dearstyne 3 Comments

New York State’s 243rd Birthday is coming up on April 20.

That is the day that the convention of representatives, an outgrowth of the New York Provincial Congress, approved the first state constitution in 1777, at Kingston. (Some people say the appropriate date is actually two days later, April 22. On that day, the convention’s secretary Robert Benson, read the new constitution aloud to Kingston citizens in front of the court house. In effect, Benson’s dramatic reading proclaimed the new state into existence.) [Read more…] about 4-20: New York State’s Forgotten Birthday

Looking Beyond Our Borders For Good Ideas

November 18, 2019 by Bruce Dearstyne Leave a Comment

This New York history blog continues to be our most important source for initiatives and developments in New York’s history community. The blog brings us news every day on historical programs’ exhibits, presentations, and other public events.

Of course, we have some of the strongest and most dynamic history programs in the nation here in New York, good models for each other and for other states. Sometimes, though, it is useful to look beyond New York for examples of things that are happening elsewhere that can provide suggestions for things our programs might consider doing. [Read more…] about Looking Beyond Our Borders For Good Ideas

David McCullough’s The Pioneers: A Model of Local History

June 3, 2019 by Bruce Dearstyne Leave a Comment

Pulitzer-prize winning historian David McCullough’s new book The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West (Simon & Schuster, 2019) is a good example of local and regional history well told.

The title is somewhat expansive. The book really is not about pioneers generally or the west as a whole. It is mostly about the development of Marietta, Ohio, the surrounding region, and to some degree the state of Ohio and the Northwest Territory. But some of its insights presented by McCullough may be applicable to the development of the western part of the country as a whole. [Read more…] about David McCullough’s The Pioneers: A Model of Local History

Bruce Dearstyne: Broadening Historical Programs’ Horizons

February 4, 2019 by Bruce Dearstyne 1 Comment

One of the trends in public history programs these days is to re-examine program mission, reach out to new audiences, and reach back into the histories of groups that have been neglected or marginalized.

There are lots of examples here in New York. For instance, the mission statement of the Brooklyn Historical Society says it connects the past to the present and makes the vibrant history of Brooklyn tangible, relevant, and meaningful for today’s diverse communities, and for generations to come.” The Society features exhibits and public programs that delve into the historical roots of contemporary issues. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: Broadening Historical Programs’ Horizons