The 43^rd annual meeting of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic will meet in the Crescent City at the Intercontinental New Orleans from 21 to 24 July 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Registration is now open and the draft conference program is available on the SHEAR website.

Accomodations

Conference Hotel

The meeting will be headquartered at the Intercontinental New Orleans, 444 St. Charles Avenue.  Rates are $143.00 single or double and are valid for three days before and after the SHEAR conference, based on availability.  ($30 each additional guest, per night.)

All conference attendees are responsible for making their own room arrangements directly on the Passkey website or by calling (800) 439-4745; be sure to request the group rate for SHEAR. The deadline for making reservations at the reduced rate is 1 July 2022.

Contact Robyn Davis, the conference coordinator, immediately if you have any difficulties when reserving a room (robyn.davis@millersville.edu).

Graduate Student Hotel Block

Shared rooms are available for graduate students at the reduced rate of $99.00/night per person, excluding taxes.  Students interested should contact the conference coordinator directly (robyn.davis@millersville.edu) by 27 June 2022 to be booked for this block.  If you do not have a roommate in mind, the coordinator will keep a list to facilitate rooming options.

More information about the hotel and its amenities (complimentary use of the fitness center and rooftop swimming pool are included for SHEARites) is available at the hotel’s website. 

Covid-19 Information

Masks encouraged.

Under current guidelines the city of New Orleans encourages but does not require wearing masks in indoor spaces. The city also encourages all residents and visitors to be vaccinated, including booster shots as appropriate, and suggests that all assess individual risks and consider face coverings in public.

SHEAR will follow local guidelines for our conference in July and encourages all attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and staff to continue to wear masks in any SHEAR designated space (breakout rooms, exhibit hall, lobby areas outside these spaces) for the safety of others.

We will update this as necessary in response to changing health guidelines.

Getting There

Planes

Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport (MSY) is the closest airport to the conference hotel, served by domestic and international airlines with daily non-stop flights.  The Intercontinental New Orleans is 15 miles from the airport and can be reached by taxi, public transit, shuttles, and shared rides.  Learn more about your transportation options here. Please note the conference hotel does not provide an airport shuttle.

Trains

 Amtrak’s Union Passenger Terminal is less than 1 mile south from the hotel.  For information about schedules and pricing, please contact AMTRAK at 1.800.USA.RAIL (1-800.872.7245 or 1.215.856.1477 for international visitors) or visit Amtrak’s website.

Automobiles

Click here for driving directions to and parking information at the conference hotel.

Parking

Self parking is $28.11 daily with tax; valet parking is $52.85 daily.

Buses

The New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal is 1 mile south from the hotel.  Learn about the bus companies serve the station here.

Conference Highlights

Graduate Research Seminars, Wednesday 20 July

Continuing SHEAR’s long tradition of mentoring graduate students, senior scholars will lead concurrent research seminars for advanced graduate students and recent graduates, devoted to different scholarly topics in the history of the early United States and its world. To promote accessibility and broad participation, these will be held online before the conference opens.

Tour Whitney Plantation, Thursday 21 July

Research Director Dr. Ibrahima Seck will lead the tour.  Whitney Plantation in Edgard is unique, the only museum in Louisiana with an exclusive focus on the lives of enslaved people.  Founded in 1752 as Habitation Haydel by one of the many German immigrants to colonize the River Parishes in the 18^th century, the labor camp was a main site of the 1811 German Coast Uprising, the largest slave insurgency in U.S. history.  Bus departs from the hotel at 10:00 am; returns by 4:00

Biography Writers’ Workshop, Thursday 21 July

Presenters will cover topics related to historical biography followed by breakout working groups that have read and will offer feedback on each other’s projects.

Second-Book Writers’ Workshop, Thursday 21 July

Four senior scholar mentors will each facilitate a workshop session for historians of the early American republic who are currently working on second book projects.

President’s Plenary, Thursday 21 July

SHEAR’s 43^rd annual conference opens at 6:00 pm with the President’s Plenary.

Plenary Reception, Thursday 21 July

In the Intercontinental immediately following the President’s Plenary, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.

Coffee and Pop with the JER Editors, Friday 22 July

Johann Neem and Andy Shankman invite graduate students and early career scholars to meet for an informal early-morning conversation.

Forum: Indigenous Histories of the Gulf, Friday 22 July

This panel will center Indigenous histories and explore how the narratives historians tell about the U.S. and Indigenous past shape the present and the future.

JER Editorial Board Meeting, Friday 22 July

The JER editorial board meets at 12:30 pm.

2023 Program Committee Meeting, Friday 22 July

The Program Committee for the 2023 SHEAR conference in Philadelphia will meet at 12:30.

Business Meeting, Friday 22 July

Join us at SHEAR’s business meeting, open to all.

Forum:  Material Conditions in the Production of Early American History Today, Friday 22 July

 Who gets to produce scholarship on early America?  This panel will discuss changing material conditions affecting historians’ labor. The stakes are real:  if we seek a diverse and vibrant scholarly community, what happens when growing numbers of historians lack the time and resources to produce scholarship?  What should SHEAR do?

Tour of Old New Orleans Mint/New Orleans Jazz Museum, Friday 22 July

The New Orleans Mint operated in New Orleans as a branch mint of the United States Mint from 1838-1861 and from 1879-1909. During its years of operation, it produced over 427 million gold and silver coins of nearly every American denomination, with a total face value of over US$ 307 million. Today the mint houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum, which celebrates jazz in the city where it was born.  The tour begins at 7:00 pm.

Graduate Student Meet-n-Greet, Friday 22 July

It’s in the works.  HMU if you can help.

Boydston Women’s Breakfast, Saturday 22 July

The women of SHEAR will gather from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. for their thirteenth annual breakfast honoring the life and career of long-time SHEAR member and supporter Jeanne Boydston.  Tickets are $30.00 for a hearty and heartening breakfast; reservations are required.  Senior scholars are encouraged to sponsor graduate students and junior scholars.

SHEAR Advisory Council, Saturday 22 July

The Advisory Council meets at 12:30 pm.

Forum:  Teaching History Amidst the History Wars, Saturday 22 July

The last several years have seen a sharp rise across the nation in the politicization of history education.  This forum brings together secondary school teachers who will offer reflections on how teachers have approached historical content amid shifting legal, political, and cultural contexts.

Presidential Address, Saturday 23 July

The 2022 presidential address begins at 6:00 pm.  SHEAR President Joanne Freeman will discuss “The Politics of Outrage.”

Awards Ceremony, Saturday 23 July

The SHEAR awards ceremony will immediately follow the Presidential Address.

Closing Reception, Saturday 23 July

The SHEAR closing reception follows immediately after the Awards ceremony.

Tour of Chalmette Battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans, Sunday 24 July

The last land battle ever fought on American soil between the United States and a foreign enemy took place just outside of New Orleans on a site now known as the Chalmette Battlefield.  The Battle of New Orleans, which occurred nearly 2 weeks after the Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, kept the British from capturing New Orleans and elevated Andrew Jackson to national prominence.  Tour leaves from the hotel at 1:00 pm

From Conference Paper to Journal Article Workshop, 26 July

The JER editors and peers will meet online to discuss feedback and plans for revising conference papers into publishable journal articles.  Post-conference online workshop.