Delta State assistant professor of history Dr. Ethan Schmidt is sharing his knowledge with the world. He recently published his second book and delivered the 2015 Zimmerman Memorial Lecture at Emporia State University in Kansas.
The Zimmerman Memorial Lecture at Emporia compares to Delta State’s annual Cranford Lecture, which was established to commemorate the life and work of Delta State history professor and university archivist Sammy O. Cranford. Schmidt’s lecture, titled “Why Native American History Matters: The Case of the American Revolution,” drew upon material published in his previous book. It demonstrated that contemporary issues may only by solved by understanding Native American history.
In his book, “The Divided Dominion: Social Conflict and Indian Hatred in Early Virginia,” Schmidt examines the social struggle that created Bacon’s Rebellion, focusing on the role of class antagonism in fostering violence toward native people in seventeenth-century Virginia. The text reveals how the American Revolution provided the opportunity for many colonists to continue displacing Native Americans a topic often neglected when examining the war.
“This topic is important because to date, there has not been a comprehensive scholarly account of the Native American experience in the Revolutionary era,” said Schmidt. “I have taught an upper division course on the American Revolution for 10 years now, and there are great books about the experiences of women, African Americans, the urban and rural laboring classes, et cetera but not one book that you could assign to students which covered it in its totality.”
For more information on the book, visit the University Press of Colorado.
Delta State offers a bachelor of arts in history, and students can expect to acquire a broad understanding of the major events, themes and developments of American, European and World History. Connect with the history department on Facebook or call 662-846-4170.
