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Northern Illinois University

Department of History

Aaron Spencer Fogleman
Professor

Fields of Study: United States-Colonial/Revolutionary, Atlantic World, Colonial Empires, Comparative/Migration/Transnational, Gender, Sexuality and Women, Religion, Violence

E-mail: aaronfogleman@niu.edu
Phone: 815-753-6824
Office: Zulauf 613

Education: Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1991

Current Research: I am working on two projects related to the Atlantic World, 1492-1860s.  The first is a book-length study of the entire subject, and the second is a microhistory of a French Swiss and German couple traveling from Europe to the Americas from the 1720s to the 1770s.  Both were religious seekers who got involved with numerous radical groups on both sides of the Atlantic, as they preached to Protestants, Jews, African slaves, and Indians from New York to St. Thomas to Suriname.  They became involved in numerous sex and marriage scandals, real estate swindles, counterfeiting, faith healing of people and animals, and disputes over insanity.

Major/Recent Publications:

Books:

  • Jesus Is Female: Moravians and the Challenge of Radical Religion in Early America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007.
  • Hopeful Journeys: German Immigration, Settlement, and Political Culture in Colonial America, 1717-1775. Philadelphia:  University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996.

Articles:

  • “The Atlantic World, 1492-1860s: Definition, Theory, and Boundaries,” in Bernard Bailyn (ed.), Soundings in Atlantic History. Harvard University Press, forthcoming.
  • “Jesus Is Female: The Moravian Challenge in the German Communities of British North America,” The William and Mary Quarterly, 60, April 2003, 295-332.
  • “Native Americans, Pietists, and Colonial North American History: A Review Article,” Pietismus und Neuzeit, 27, 2001, 277-296.
  • “Shadow Boxing in Georgia: The Beginnings of the Moravian-Lutheran Conflict in British North America,” The Georgia Historical Quarterly, 83, 1999, 629-659.
  • “From Slaves, Convicts, and Servants to Free Passengers: The Transformation of Immigration in the Era of the American Revolution,” The Journal of American History, 85, 1998, 43-76.

Teaching Interests: I teach courses in two areas.  The first is early America, which includes the study of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans primarily in eastern North America from early colonization until the early 19th century.  Of special interest here is identifying the kind of colonial society that developed up to the mid-18th century and then the nature of change that occurred thereafter as a result of the American Revolution.  The second area is the Atlantic World, 1492-1860s, which addresses the rise, nature, and transformation of the world made by contacts between Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans on the four continents and the Atlantic Ocean during this period.

Courses Taught:

  • HIST 260 American History to 1865
  • HIST 459 The Atlantic World, 1492-1860s
  • HIST 460 Colonial America
  • HIST 461 The American Revolution
  • HIST 491 Senior Thesis
  • HIST 510 Reading Seminar in Early American History
  • HIST 590 Reading Seminar in the Atlantic World, 1492-1860s
  • HIST 690 Research Seminar on the Atlantic World, 1492-1860s

Interdisciplinary Affiliations:
Affiliate, Women’s Studies Program

Link to CV | Link to Personal Website