
Contributors
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Past |
Jay Barry
Jay Barry is a History and Social Studies teacher at Arlington High School (MA). He has been a high school teacher for thirty-three years, primarily teaching U.S. history. In recent years Jay’s focus has been on the discipline of “applied history”. Applied history seeks to promote respect for history as a practical method to enlighten and inform students, and to serve as a problem-solving tool by providing historical context for present-day topics. With financial support from the Stanton Foundation, he has conducted research, led teacher workshops, and created numerous applied history case studies.
"Applied History in the High School Classroom," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
Joseph Carvalho III
Joseph Carvalho III, M.A., M.L.S., C.G.R.S., and Certified Archivist, born Aug. 28, 1953 In Kinston, North Carolina. Graduate of Westfield State University ( B.A. 1975); College of William & Mary (M.A. 1977); University of Rhode Island (M.L.S., 1984). He is currently the Co-Editor of the (Springfield) Republican newspaper's Ethnic Heritage Book Series, and retired President and Executive Director (1994–2010) of the Springfield Museums in Springfield, Massachusetts. Author of Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts: 1650-1865 published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 2011. He served as Associate Editor of the Historical Journal of Massachusetts (1978–2003), and as the Book Review Editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly (1987–1996). In 1996, Joe received the National Award for Advancing Genealogical Research Publications from the National Genealogical Society. He is the author of numerous articles in historical and genealogical journals, and he co-edited reference works such as The Guide to the History of Massachusetts (1988), Dictionary of American Medical Biography (1985), and Labor in Massachusetts: Selected Essays (1990).
"The Development of Puerto Rican Communities in Springfield, Holyoke, and Westfield: 1947-2010," Volume 74, Issue 1, Fall 2017
"The Congamucks: A Multiracial and Multicultural Community of the Congamond Lake Region, Southwick, Massachusetts," Volume 81, Issue 1, Fall 2024
Erik J. Chaput
Erik J. Chaput holds a doctorate in early American history from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. His 2013 book, The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and the 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion (University Press of Kansas) will be coming out in paperback later this year. Chaput is the co-editor with Russell DeSimone of several letter collections on the Dorr Rebellion Project (website: http://library.providence.edu/dorr). He teaches American History at the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts and online in the School of Continuing Education at Providence College. Chaput is co-editor with Russell J. DeSimone of the Selected Writings of Thomas Wilson Dorr to be released in July 2025 by the Rhode Island Publications Society.
"'Third Century of Liberty'?: Thomas Wilson Dorr and Debate over the Gag Rule in Rhode Island, 1835-1836," Volume 80, Issue 1, Fall 2023
"The Dorr Rebellion Project Website Turns Fifteen," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
Darcy Daniels
Darcy Daniels is a third-generation teacher who has taught every grade from 5th grade through college in three different countries and four different states. She was part of Teach for America and is a James Madison Memorial Fellow. Darcy was 2024 History Teacher of the Year for the State of Massachusetts. She currently teaches US History at Nipmuc Regional High School in Upton, Massachusetts, where her department recently was awarded Department of Distinction for 2025 . When not in the classroom, you can find her giving tours on the Freedom Trail in Boston with Hub Town Tours.
"Legacy Projects: A Bridge to Sustainable Community Engagement through Civic Action," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
Russell J. DeSimone
Russell J. DeSimone is an independent scholar. He is co-author of Broadsides of the Dorr Rebellion (1992), author of The Dorr Rebellion Chronicled in Ballads and Poetry (1993), A Survey of Nineteenth Century Rhode Island Billheads (2002), Rhode Island’s Rebellion (2009), co-author of Remarkable Women of Rhode Island (2014) and author of Rhode Island Election Tickets – A Survey of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Paper Ballots (2023). He is editor of Mister Providence College – The Selected Writings of Rev. Joseph L. Lennon, O.P. (2019) and “Fighting Bob” Quinn – Political Reformer and the People’s Advocate (2020). He has also written numerous articles on Rhode Island history. DeSimone currently is co-historian-in-residence with Erik Chaput for the Dorr Rebellion Project (website: http://library.providence.edu/dps/projects/dorr/index.html) sponsored by Providence College.
"'Third Century of Liberty'?: Thomas Wilson Dorr and Debate over the Gag Rule in Rhode Island, 1835-1836," Volume 80, Issue 1, Fall 2023
"The Dorr Rebellion Project Website Turns Fifteen," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
William Dorsey
William Dorsey is a 2024 graduate of Dean College, with a bachelor’s degree in history. He interned with the New England Journal of History from January to May 2023, and worked as a peer tutor for history during the spring and fall semesters of 2023. He co-produced two short documentaries, Horace Mann: A Political Career and Italian Anarchists and the Ray Mill Bombing. He is interested in political history, and his senior thesis "The Glorious Revolution of 1688: English Politics and Dutch Ambitions" examines the geopolitical background to the Glorious Revolution and the competing goals of William of Orange and the English political class during and after 1688.
"The Glorious Revolution of 1688: English Politics and Dutch Ambitions," Volume 81, Issue 1, Fall 2024
Daniel MacIsaac
Daniel MacIsaac has been a history teacher at Nipmuc Regional High School since the 2005–2006 school year. He primarily teaches freshman World History and AP European History. Dan graduated from Providence College in 2003 with a double major in History and American Studies. He earned his teaching license through Framingham State College and later completed a Master of Education at Salem State University. As a proud member of the Nipmuc Social Studies Department, Dan contributed to the team’s recognition as a Department of Distinction by the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies in 2025. He is deeply committed to creating an inclusive and engaging classroom where every student has the opportunity to succeed. When he’s not in the classroom, Dan is an avid traveler and a passionate Boston sports fan—interests that nearly rival his love for teaching.
"Legacy Projects: A Bridge to Sustainable Community Engagement through Civic Action," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
Michael Megelsh
Michael J. Megelsh is a nineteenth century American historian, who graduated with his doctorate from Auburn University in 2021. His research interests include the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the American West, and Piracy in the Americas. His writing projects include military history, nautical history, and Early American history. His first book, Adelbert Ames, the Civil War, and the Making of Modern America was released in 2024 with the Kent State University Press. He currently is an assistant professor of history at Blue Mountain Christian University.
"A Finer and More Military Set of Men Cannot Be Found: New England’s Black Volunteers During the Civil War," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
David Salzillo Jr.
David Salzillo Jr. was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 2001 and has since then been a lifelong resident of Providence and Rhode Island, where he attended Providence public schools. He obtained a B.A. in American Studies and History from Providence College in May 2024, and is currently a 1L student at the Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island.
"'Alas Poor Ireland!': The 'Irish Precedent' and the Origins of the American Revolution," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025
Harvey Strum
Harvey Strum is a professor of history and political science at Russell Sage College, and program director for history. His research interests include the early national period, American and Canadian aid to Ireland in 1847, 1863, and 1880, American Jewish history, and anti-Catholicism in New Jersey, 1820-1870.
"Maine’s Aid to Ireland During the Great Hunger," Volume 81, Issue 2, Spring 2025