Mini-essay Unit 8
-
News & Advocacy
- AHA Announcements
- AHA in the News
-
Statements and Resolutions of Support and Protest
- AHA asks NARA for Careful Consideration of Department of Interior Disposition Request
- Guiding Principles on Taking a Public Stance
- AHA Procedures for Making Statements on Alleged Violations of Foreign and US Historians Abroad (June 2001)
- AHA Calls for Immediate Release of Xiyue Wang Imprisoned in Iran
- Letter of Concern about Rutgers Investigation of Faculty Member
- Letter Regarding Detention of Hatoon al-Fassi
- AHA Executive Director Sends Letter to Texas Historical Commission Concerning Postponed Porvenir Marker
- AHA Endorses Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill
- AHA Signs COSSA Letter Opposing Citizenship Question on 2020 Census
- Letter from AHA Executive Director Regarding Destruction of ICE Records
- Letter from AHA Executive Director Regarding Congressional Medal of Honor Proposal
- AHA Letter to College Board Regarding AP World History
- American Academy of Arts & Sciences Language Education Statement
- Letter Concerning NPS Office of International Affairs Appropriation
- Letter to Commerce Secretary on Citizenship Question
- Letter from the Coalition for International Education Concerning Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Funding
- AHA President Expresses Concerns about Proposed Elimination of the History Major at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- AHA President Sends Letter Protesting Access Restrictions to Phillips Library
- AHA Condemns Polish Law Criminalizing Public Discussion of Polish Complicity in Nazi War Crimes
- Letter from the American Anthropological Association on Banned Words
- Statement on Right to Engage in Collective Bargaining
- Letter from the Coalition for International Education Supporting Title VI-International Education Programs
- Statement Opposing US Proposal to Tax Tuition Waivers
- AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments
- Letter of Support for Title VI Education
- Letter to Archivist of the US Concerning Discontinuing of Saturday Research Room Hours
- Statement Protesting Proposed FY18 Budget Reduction of Department of Education
- AHA Letter in Support of Central European University
- AHA Statement of Protest Regarding Arkansas Howard Zinn Controversy
- AHA Protests Detainment of French Historian Henry Rousso
- AHA Condemns Second Draft of Executive Travel Ban
- AHA Statement of Support for National March for Science
- AHA Statement on Right to Nonviolent Political Action
- AHA Condemns Executive Order Restricting Entry to the United States
- AHA Statement in Aftermath of 2016 Election
- Letter of Support for National Monument to Reconstruction
- Letter of Concern to Polish Government regarding Treatment of Historian Jan Gross
- Letter of Concern Regarding Mexican-American Heritage Textbook
- Advocacy for Academic Freedom and Institutional Integrity in Turkey
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Port of Los Angeles Archive
- Letter of Concern Regarding Poland's Museum of the Second World War
- Letter of Support for Nomination of Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress
- AHA Signs Memo in Support of Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
- Letter Protesting the Persecution of Turkish Scholars
- Letter Protesting Potential Closure of Musee des Tissus in Lyon
- American Scholarly Societies Joint Statement on Campus Carry Legislation
- Public Statement on Oral History and Human Subjects Regulation
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Possible Closure of the Illinois State Museum
- Letter Opposing Georgia's Policy Denying Higher Ed Access to Undocumented Students
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Reductions in Resources for the State Historical Society of Iowa
- Statement Defending Tenure and Academic Freedom in Wisconsin
- Letter of Support for the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine
- Letter of Concern Regarding Georgia's Religious Freedom Restoration Act
- Letter Encouraging Social Studies Funding in ESEA
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Virginia Executive Order for Conflict-of-Interest Reporting
- Letter of Concern Regarding the New York Board of Regents Proposed Modifications to Annual Exams
- AHA Commentary on Revision of K-12 History Social Science Framework
- Endorsement of Durbin Bill to Expand Student Loan Forgiveness Program to Adjunct Faculty
- Letter of Concern About NHPRC's Requirements Regarding Digital Publication
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Destruction of El Salvadorian Archives
- Letter of Concern to University of Illinois Chancellor Regarding Salaita Case
- Letter of Opposition to Relocation of National Archives for Black Women's History (2014)
- Letter of Support for the Federal Records Act Amendments of 2013
- Letter to the Board of Education for Jefferson County Colorado Public Schools
- Statement of Support for AAUP Opposition to Kansas Board of Regents Social Media Policy
- Statement of Support for College Board's Revised Advanced Placement US History Course Framework
- Statement of Support for the Council on Graduate Schools' Resolution on Deadlines for Accepting Offers of Admission
- AHA Statement on Academic Freedom and the Indiana Governor
- Letter of Support for Cuban Scholars to Attend LASA Conference
- Statement of Concern about Senate Initiative to Restrict Funding of Political Science Research
- Statement of Support for Russian Scholars
- Statement of Concern about Texas State Board of Education Amendments
- Resolution Regarding the 2010 AHA Annual Meeting
- Letter of Concern about Russian Raid on Human Rights Organization
- AHA Council Endorses the National Council for History Education's Statement on Teacher Qualifications
- AHA Supports Adding History to No Child Left Behind Act
- Letter of Concern about Jaywalking Arrest
- Resolution on United States Government Practices Inimical to the Values of the Historical Profession
- Resolution Opposing the Use of "Free Speech Zones" to Restrict Academic Freedom
- Support for Middle East Studies Association's Protest of the Detention of Scholars in Iran
- Letter of Concern about Denial of Visa to Georgetown University PhD from Bolivia
- AHA Statement on the 2006 Florida Education Bill
- Resolution on the United States Government's Abusive Policies toward Foreign Prisoners
- Resolution Opposing Academic and Student Bills of Rights
- Protest to Secretary of State Colin Powell over Rejection of Cuban Scholars' Visa Applications
- Resolution on Part-Time and Adjunct Employees
- Resolution on the Michael Bellesiles Case
- Resolution on the Smithsonian Institution
- Resolution on Funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
- Historians Making News
- Everything Has a History
- Coalitions
- Calendar
- News Archives
- Press Resources
- Publications & Directories
-
Teaching & Learning
- Why Study History?
-
Teaching Resources for Historians
- Classroom Materials
- Approaches to Teaching
- Teaching with DigHist
- Resources for Globalizing the US History Survey
- Resources for Tuning the History Discipline
- The Decision to Secede and Establish the Confederacy: A Selection of Primary Sources
- Plagiarism: Curricular Materials for History Instructors
- How to Detect and Demonstrate Plagiarism
- Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
- Sixteen Months to Sumter
- History and Policy Education Program
- Reacting to the Past
- Globalizing the US History Survey
- Tuning the History Discipline
- Future of the African American Past Video Resources
- Digital History Resources
- Extending the Reach of Scholarly Society Work to HBCU Faculty
- History Gateways
-
Jobs & Professional Development
- AHA Career Center
- Post a Job
- Career Diversity for Historians
-
Career Resources
- Careers for History Majors
- Careers for Students of History
- Careers in Public History
- Data on the History Profession
- Resources for Job Candidates and Search Committees
- Why Become a Historian?
- Are You Thinking of a Career in Secondary Schools?
- An Option Worth Pursuing: Teaching Opportunities for History Graduate Students in Secondary Schools
-
Professional Life
- Mentoring
-
Statements, Standards, and Guidelines of the Discipline
- Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct
- Guidelines for the Preparation, Evaluation, and Selection of History Textbooks
- Statement on Dual Enrollment/Concurrent Enrollment
- Statement on Employing International Faculty
- Statement Supporting Skills-Based Employment for International Students
- Best Practices on Spousal/Partner Hiring
- Guidelines for the Hiring Process
- Standards for Museum Exhibits Dealing with Historical Subjects
- Statement on Age Discrimination
- Statement on Diversity and Affirmative Action
- Statement on Excellent Classroom Teaching of History
- Statement on Right to Engage in Collective Bargaining
- Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian
- Guidelines for the Doctoral Dissertation Process (2016)
- Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of History (2016)
- Best Practices for Accessible Publishing (2016)
- Statement of Support for Academic Freedom (2016)
- Guidelines on the Professional Evaluation of Digital Scholarship by Historians (2015)
- Statement on Graduate School Offers of Financial Support (2014)
- Statement on Policies Regarding the Option to Embargo Completed History PhD Dissertations
- Statement on Productivity
- Statement on Scholarly Journal Publishing
- When Academic Departments Merge: First Principles, Best Practices
- Telephone and Video Interviews for Academic Hiring: Some Guidelines
- Best Practices on Transparency in Placement Records
- Standards for Part-Time, Adjunct and Contingent Faculty (2011)
- Equity for Minority Historians in the Academic History Workplace: A Guide to Best Practices
- Guidelines for Job Offers in History
- Statement on Peer Review for Historical Research
- Statement on Oral History and Institutional Review Boards
- Benchmarks for Professional Development
- Criteria for Standards in History/Social Studies/Social Sciences
- AHA Statement on Diversity in History Teaching
- Meetings & Seminars Calendar
-
Annual Meeting
- Program
- Exhibitors, Sponsors, and Advertisers
- Dates & Deadlines
- Registration
- Hotels and Travel
- Job Center and Career Fair
- Resources and Guides
- Business Meeting
-
Awards & Grants
-
Awards & Prizes
- Herbert Baxter Adams Prize
- Troyer Steele Anderson Prize
- Eugene Asher Award
- George Louis Beer Prize
- Jerry Bentley Prize
- Albert J. Beveridge Award
- Beveridge Family Teaching Prize
- Paul Birdsall Prize
- James Henry Breasted Prize
- Albert B. Corey Prize
- Raymond J. Cunningham Prize
- John H. Dunning Prize
- Equity Award
- John K. Fairbank Prize
- Herbert Feis Award
- Morris D. Forkosch Prize
- Leo Gershoy Award
- William and Edwyna Gilbert Award
- Clarence H. Haring Prize
- Honorary Foreign Member
- J. Franklin Jameson Award
- Friedrich Katz Prize
- Joan Kelly Memorial Prize
- Martin A. Klein Prize
- Waldo G. Leland Prize
- Littleton-Griswold Prize
- J. Russell Major Prize
- Helen & Howard R. Marraro Prize
- George L. Mosse Prize
- John E. O'Connor Film Award
- Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize
- James A. Rawley Prize
- Premio del Rey
- John F. Richards Prize
- James Harvey Robinson Prize
- Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award
- Dorothy Rosenberg Prize
- Award for Scholarly Distinction
- Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award
- Roy Rosenzweig Prize
- Wesley-Logan Prize
- Grants & Fellowships
-
Past Recipients
- Herbert Baxter Adams Prize Recipients
- AHA Council Annual Meeting Travel Grant Recipients
- Troyer Steele Anderson Prize Recipients
- Eugene Asher Award Recipients
- George Louis Beer Prize Recipients
- Jerry Bentley Prize Recipients
- Jerry Bentley World History Travel Grant Recipients
- Beveridge Family Teaching Prize Recipients
- Albert J. Beveridge Award Recipients
- Albert J. Beveridge Grant Recipients
- Paul Birdsall Prize Recipients
- James Henry Breasted Prize Recipients
- Albert B. Corey Prize Recipients
- Raymond J. Cunningham Prize Recipients
- John H. Dunning Prize Recipients
- Equity Award Recipients
- Extraordinary Service Award Recipients
- John E. Fagg Prize Recipients
- John K. Fairbank Prize Recipients
- Herbert Feis Award Recipients
- Morris D. Forkosch Prize Recipients
- Leo Gershoy Award Recipients
- William and Edwyna Gilbert Award Recipients
- Gutenberg-e Prize Recipients
- Clarence H. Haring Prize Recipients
- Honorary Foreign Member Recipients
- J. Franklin Jameson Award Recipients
- J. Franklin Jameson Fellowship Recipients
- Friedrich Katz Prize Recipients
- Joan Kelly Memorial Prize Recipients
- Martin A. Klein Prize Recipients
- Michael Kraus Research Grant Recipients
- Waldo G. Leland Prize Recipients
- Littleton-Griswold Grant Recipients
- Littleton-Griswold Prize Recipients
- J. Russell Major Prize Recipients
- Helen & Howard R. Marraro Prize Recipients
- George L. Mosse Prize Recipients
- Fellowship in Aerospace History Recipients
- John E. O'Connor Film Award Recipients
- Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize Recipients
- James A. Rawley Prize Recipients
- Premio del Rey Recipients
- John F. Richards Prize Recipients
- James Harvey Robinson Prize Recipients
- Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award Recipients
- Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award Recipients
- Dorothy Rosenberg Phi Beta Kappa Travel Grant Recipients
- Dorothy Rosenberg Prize Recipients
- Roy Rosenzweig Prize Recipients
- Bernadotte Schmitt Grant Recipients
- Award for Scholarly Distinction Recipients
- Wesley-Logan Prize Recipients
- Discontinued Awards
- Awards & Fellowships Calendar
-
Awards & Prizes
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About AHA & Membership
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Donate
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- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
- Governance
- Affiliated Societies
Skip to content Show Menu Login Login Help Search-
News & Advocacy
- AHA Announcements
- AHA in the News
-
Statements and Resolutions of Support and Protest
- AHA asks NARA for Careful Consideration of Department of Interior Disposition Request
- Guiding Principles on Taking a Public Stance
- AHA Procedures for Making Statements on Alleged Violations of Foreign and US Historians Abroad (June 2001)
- AHA Calls for Immediate Release of Xiyue Wang Imprisoned in Iran
- Letter of Concern about Rutgers Investigation of Faculty Member
- Letter Regarding Detention of Hatoon al-Fassi
- AHA Executive Director Sends Letter to Texas Historical Commission Concerning Postponed Porvenir Marker
- AHA Endorses Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill
- AHA Signs COSSA Letter Opposing Citizenship Question on 2020 Census
- Letter from AHA Executive Director Regarding Destruction of ICE Records
- Letter from AHA Executive Director Regarding Congressional Medal of Honor Proposal
- AHA Letter to College Board Regarding AP World History
- American Academy of Arts & Sciences Language Education Statement
- Letter Concerning NPS Office of International Affairs Appropriation
- Letter to Commerce Secretary on Citizenship Question
- Letter from the Coalition for International Education Concerning Title VI and Fulbright-Hays Funding
- AHA President Expresses Concerns about Proposed Elimination of the History Major at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
- AHA President Sends Letter Protesting Access Restrictions to Phillips Library
- AHA Condemns Polish Law Criminalizing Public Discussion of Polish Complicity in Nazi War Crimes
- Letter from the American Anthropological Association on Banned Words
- Statement on Right to Engage in Collective Bargaining
- Letter from the Coalition for International Education Supporting Title VI-International Education Programs
- Statement Opposing US Proposal to Tax Tuition Waivers
- AHA Statement on Confederate Monuments
- Letter of Support for Title VI Education
- Letter to Archivist of the US Concerning Discontinuing of Saturday Research Room Hours
- Statement Protesting Proposed FY18 Budget Reduction of Department of Education
- AHA Letter in Support of Central European University
- AHA Statement of Protest Regarding Arkansas Howard Zinn Controversy
- AHA Protests Detainment of French Historian Henry Rousso
- AHA Condemns Second Draft of Executive Travel Ban
- AHA Statement of Support for National March for Science
- AHA Statement on Right to Nonviolent Political Action
- AHA Condemns Executive Order Restricting Entry to the United States
- AHA Statement in Aftermath of 2016 Election
- Letter of Support for National Monument to Reconstruction
- Letter of Concern to Polish Government regarding Treatment of Historian Jan Gross
- Letter of Concern Regarding Mexican-American Heritage Textbook
- Advocacy for Academic Freedom and Institutional Integrity in Turkey
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Port of Los Angeles Archive
- Letter of Concern Regarding Poland's Museum of the Second World War
- Letter of Support for Nomination of Dr. Carla Hayden as Librarian of Congress
- AHA Signs Memo in Support of Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
- Letter Protesting the Persecution of Turkish Scholars
- Letter Protesting Potential Closure of Musee des Tissus in Lyon
- American Scholarly Societies Joint Statement on Campus Carry Legislation
- Public Statement on Oral History and Human Subjects Regulation
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Possible Closure of the Illinois State Museum
- Letter Opposing Georgia's Policy Denying Higher Ed Access to Undocumented Students
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Reductions in Resources for the State Historical Society of Iowa
- Statement Defending Tenure and Academic Freedom in Wisconsin
- Letter of Support for the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine
- Letter of Concern Regarding Georgia's Religious Freedom Restoration Act
- Letter Encouraging Social Studies Funding in ESEA
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Virginia Executive Order for Conflict-of-Interest Reporting
- Letter of Concern Regarding the New York Board of Regents Proposed Modifications to Annual Exams
- AHA Commentary on Revision of K-12 History Social Science Framework
- Endorsement of Durbin Bill to Expand Student Loan Forgiveness Program to Adjunct Faculty
- Letter of Concern About NHPRC's Requirements Regarding Digital Publication
- Letter of Concern Regarding the Destruction of El Salvadorian Archives
- Letter of Concern to University of Illinois Chancellor Regarding Salaita Case
- Letter of Opposition to Relocation of National Archives for Black Women's History (2014)
- Letter of Support for the Federal Records Act Amendments of 2013
- Letter to the Board of Education for Jefferson County Colorado Public Schools
- Statement of Support for AAUP Opposition to Kansas Board of Regents Social Media Policy
- Statement of Support for College Board's Revised Advanced Placement US History Course Framework
- Statement of Support for the Council on Graduate Schools' Resolution on Deadlines for Accepting Offers of Admission
- AHA Statement on Academic Freedom and the Indiana Governor
- Letter of Support for Cuban Scholars to Attend LASA Conference
- Statement of Concern about Senate Initiative to Restrict Funding of Political Science Research
- Statement of Support for Russian Scholars
- Statement of Concern about Texas State Board of Education Amendments
- Resolution Regarding the 2010 AHA Annual Meeting
- Letter of Concern about Russian Raid on Human Rights Organization
- AHA Council Endorses the National Council for History Education's Statement on Teacher Qualifications
- AHA Supports Adding History to No Child Left Behind Act
- Letter of Concern about Jaywalking Arrest
- Resolution on United States Government Practices Inimical to the Values of the Historical Profession
- Resolution Opposing the Use of "Free Speech Zones" to Restrict Academic Freedom
- Support for Middle East Studies Association's Protest of the Detention of Scholars in Iran
- Letter of Concern about Denial of Visa to Georgetown University PhD from Bolivia
- AHA Statement on the 2006 Florida Education Bill
- Resolution on the United States Government's Abusive Policies toward Foreign Prisoners
- Resolution Opposing Academic and Student Bills of Rights
- Protest to Secretary of State Colin Powell over Rejection of Cuban Scholars' Visa Applications
- Resolution on Part-Time and Adjunct Employees
- Resolution on the Michael Bellesiles Case
- Resolution on the Smithsonian Institution
- Resolution on Funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
- Historians Making News
- Everything Has a History
- Coalitions
- Calendar
- News Archives
- Press Resources
- Publications & Directories
-
Teaching & Learning
- Why Study History?
-
Teaching Resources for Historians
- Classroom Materials
- Approaches to Teaching
- Teaching with DigHist
- Resources for Globalizing the US History Survey
- Resources for Tuning the History Discipline
- The Decision to Secede and Establish the Confederacy: A Selection of Primary Sources
- Plagiarism: Curricular Materials for History Instructors
- How to Detect and Demonstrate Plagiarism
- Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age
- Sixteen Months to Sumter
- History and Policy Education Program
- Reacting to the Past
- Globalizing the US History Survey
- Tuning the History Discipline
- Future of the African American Past Video Resources
- Digital History Resources
- Extending the Reach of Scholarly Society Work to HBCU Faculty
- History Gateways
-
Jobs & Professional Development
- AHA Career Center
- Post a Job
- Career Diversity for Historians
-
Career Resources
- Careers for History Majors
- Careers for Students of History
- Careers in Public History
- Data on the History Profession
- Resources for Job Candidates and Search Committees
- Why Become a Historian?
- Are You Thinking of a Career in Secondary Schools?
- An Option Worth Pursuing: Teaching Opportunities for History Graduate Students in Secondary Schools
-
Professional Life
- Mentoring
-
Statements, Standards, and Guidelines of the Discipline
- Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct
- Guidelines for the Preparation, Evaluation, and Selection of History Textbooks
- Statement on Dual Enrollment/Concurrent Enrollment
- Statement on Employing International Faculty
- Statement Supporting Skills-Based Employment for International Students
- Best Practices on Spousal/Partner Hiring
- Guidelines for the Hiring Process
- Standards for Museum Exhibits Dealing with Historical Subjects
- Statement on Age Discrimination
- Statement on Diversity and Affirmative Action
- Statement on Excellent Classroom Teaching of History
- Statement on Right to Engage in Collective Bargaining
- Tenure, Promotion, and the Publicly Engaged Academic Historian
- Guidelines for the Doctoral Dissertation Process (2016)
- Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of History (2016)
- Best Practices for Accessible Publishing (2016)
- Statement of Support for Academic Freedom (2016)
- Guidelines on the Professional Evaluation of Digital Scholarship by Historians (2015)
- Statement on Graduate School Offers of Financial Support (2014)
- Statement on Policies Regarding the Option to Embargo Completed History PhD Dissertations
- Statement on Productivity
- Statement on Scholarly Journal Publishing
- When Academic Departments Merge: First Principles, Best Practices
- Telephone and Video Interviews for Academic Hiring: Some Guidelines
- Best Practices on Transparency in Placement Records
- Standards for Part-Time, Adjunct and Contingent Faculty (2011)
- Equity for Minority Historians in the Academic History Workplace: A Guide to Best Practices
- Guidelines for Job Offers in History
- Statement on Peer Review for Historical Research
- Statement on Oral History and Institutional Review Boards
- Benchmarks for Professional Development
- Criteria for Standards in History/Social Studies/Social Sciences
- AHA Statement on Diversity in History Teaching
- Meetings & Seminars Calendar
-
Annual Meeting
- Program
- Exhibitors, Sponsors, and Advertisers
- Dates & Deadlines
- Registration
- Hotels and Travel
- Job Center and Career Fair
- Resources and Guides
- Business Meeting
-
Awards & Grants
-
Awards & Prizes
- Herbert Baxter Adams Prize
- Troyer Steele Anderson Prize
- Eugene Asher Award
- George Louis Beer Prize
- Jerry Bentley Prize
- Albert J. Beveridge Award
- Beveridge Family Teaching Prize
- Paul Birdsall Prize
- James Henry Breasted Prize
- Albert B. Corey Prize
- Raymond J. Cunningham Prize
- John H. Dunning Prize
- Equity Award
- John K. Fairbank Prize
- Herbert Feis Award
- Morris D. Forkosch Prize
- Leo Gershoy Award
- William and Edwyna Gilbert Award
- Clarence H. Haring Prize
- Honorary Foreign Member
- J. Franklin Jameson Award
- Friedrich Katz Prize
- Joan Kelly Memorial Prize
- Martin A. Klein Prize
- Waldo G. Leland Prize
- Littleton-Griswold Prize
- J. Russell Major Prize
- Helen & Howard R. Marraro Prize
- George L. Mosse Prize
- John E. O'Connor Film Award
- Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize
- James A. Rawley Prize
- Premio del Rey
- John F. Richards Prize
- James Harvey Robinson Prize
- Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award
- Dorothy Rosenberg Prize
- Award for Scholarly Distinction
- Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award
- Roy Rosenzweig Prize
- Wesley-Logan Prize
- Grants & Fellowships
-
Past Recipients
- Herbert Baxter Adams Prize Recipients
- AHA Council Annual Meeting Travel Grant Recipients
- Troyer Steele Anderson Prize Recipients
- Eugene Asher Award Recipients
- George Louis Beer Prize Recipients
- Jerry Bentley Prize Recipients
- Jerry Bentley World History Travel Grant Recipients
- Beveridge Family Teaching Prize Recipients
- Albert J. Beveridge Award Recipients
- Albert J. Beveridge Grant Recipients
- Paul Birdsall Prize Recipients
- James Henry Breasted Prize Recipients
- Albert B. Corey Prize Recipients
- Raymond J. Cunningham Prize Recipients
- John H. Dunning Prize Recipients
- Equity Award Recipients
- Extraordinary Service Award Recipients
- John E. Fagg Prize Recipients
- John K. Fairbank Prize Recipients
- Herbert Feis Award Recipients
- Morris D. Forkosch Prize Recipients
- Leo Gershoy Award Recipients
- William and Edwyna Gilbert Award Recipients
- Gutenberg-e Prize Recipients
- Clarence H. Haring Prize Recipients
- Honorary Foreign Member Recipients
- J. Franklin Jameson Award Recipients
- J. Franklin Jameson Fellowship Recipients
- Friedrich Katz Prize Recipients
- Joan Kelly Memorial Prize Recipients
- Martin A. Klein Prize Recipients
- Michael Kraus Research Grant Recipients
- Waldo G. Leland Prize Recipients
- Littleton-Griswold Grant Recipients
- Littleton-Griswold Prize Recipients
- J. Russell Major Prize Recipients
- Helen & Howard R. Marraro Prize Recipients
- George L. Mosse Prize Recipients
- Fellowship in Aerospace History Recipients
- John E. O'Connor Film Award Recipients
- Eugenia M. Palmegiano Prize Recipients
- James A. Rawley Prize Recipients
- Premio del Rey Recipients
- John F. Richards Prize Recipients
- James Harvey Robinson Prize Recipients
- Nancy Lyman Roelker Mentorship Award Recipients
- Theodore Roosevelt-Woodrow Wilson Award Recipients
- Dorothy Rosenberg Phi Beta Kappa Travel Grant Recipients
- Dorothy Rosenberg Prize Recipients
- Roy Rosenzweig Prize Recipients
- Bernadotte Schmitt Grant Recipients
- Award for Scholarly Distinction Recipients
- Wesley-Logan Prize Recipients
- Discontinued Awards
- Awards & Fellowships Calendar
-
Awards & Prizes
-
About AHA & Membership
- About Us
- Membership
-
Donate
- Contributing and Life Members
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2013-June 30, 2014
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013
- Donors to the Association, July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012
- Governance
- Affiliated Societies
In This Section
- Biography
- Reflective Essay
- Abstract
- For Teachers
- For Students
- Maps
- Timeline
- Narrative Overviews
- Contrast and Comparison Exercises
- Image Exercises
- Florentine Codex
- Letters from Hernan Cortes
- Historia Verdadera
Cortes Describes Tenochtitlan
From Cortés, Second Letter, 110–14
In order, most potent Sire, to convey to your Majesty a just conception of the great extent of this noble city of Tenochtitlan, and of the many rare and wonderful objects it contains, of the government and dominions of Moctezuma, the sovereign; of the religious rites and customs that prevail, and the order that exists in this as well as other cities appertaining to his realm: it would require the labor of many accomplished writers, and much time for the completion of the task. I shall not be able to relate an hundredth part of what could be told respecting these matters but I will endeavor to describe, in the best manner in my power, what I have myself seen; and imperfectly as I may succeed in the attempt, I am fully aware that the account will appear so wonderful as to be deemed scarcely worthy of credit; since even when we who have seen these things with our own eyes, are yet so amazed as to be unable to comprehend their reality. But your Majesty may be assured that if there is any fault in my relation, either in regard to the present subject, or to any other matters of which I shall give your Majesty an account, it will arise from too great brevity rather than extravagance or prolixity in the details; and it seems to me but just to my Prince and Sovereign to declare the truth in the clearest manner, without saying any thing that would detract from it, or add to it.
Before I beam to describe this great city and the others already mentioned, it may be well for the better understanding of the subject to say something of the configuration of Mexico, in which they are situated, it being the principal seat of Moctezuma's power. This Province is in the form of a circle, surrounded on all sides by lofty and rugged mountains'; its level surface comprises an area of about seventy leagues in circumference, including two lakes, that overspread nearly the whole valley, being navigated by boats more than fifty leagues round. One of these lakes contains fresh, and the other, which is the larger of the two, salt water. On one side of the lakes, in the middle of the valley, a range of highlands divides them from one another, with the exception of a narrow strait which lies between the highlands and the lofty sierras. This strait is a bow-shot wide, and connects the two lakes; and by this means a trade is carried on between the cities and other settlements on the lakes in canoes without the necessity of traveling by land. As the salt lake rises and falls with its tides like the sea, during the time of high water it pours into the other lake with the rapidity of a powerful stream; and on the other hand, when the tide has ebbed, the water runs from the fresh into the salt lake.
This great city of Tenochtitlan [Mexico] is situated in this salt lake, and from the main land to the denser parts of it, by whichever route one chooses to enter, the distance is two leagues. There are four avenues or entrances to the city, all of which are formed by artificial causeways, two spears' length in width. The city is as large as Seville or Cordova; its streets, I speak of the principal ones, are very wide and straight; some of these, and all the inferior ones, are half land and half water, and are navigated by canoes. All the streets at intervals have openings, through which the water flows, crossing from one street to another; and at these openings, some of which are very wide, there are also very wide bridges, composed of large pieces of timber, of great strength and well put together; on many of these bridges ten horses can go abreast. Foreseeing that if the inhabitants of this city should prove treacherous, they would possess great advantages from the manner in which the city is constructed, since by removing the bridges at the entrances, and abandoning the place, they could leave us to perish by famine without our being able to reach the main land--as soon as I had entered it, I made great haste to build four brigantines, which were soon finished, and were large enough to take ashore three hundred men and the horses, whenever it should become necessary.
This city has many public squares, in which are situated the markets and other places for buying and selling. There is one square twice as large as that of the city of Salamanca, surrounded by porticoes, where are daily assembled more than sixty thousand souls, engaged in buying, and selling; and where are found all kinds of merchandise that the world affords, embracing the necessaries of life, as for instance articles of food, as well as jewels of gold and silver, lead, brass, copper, tin, precious stones, bones, shells, snails, and feathers. There are also exposed for sale wrought and unwrought stone, bricks burnt and unburnt, timber hewn and unhewn, of different sorts. There is a street for game, where every variety of' birds found in the country are sold, as fowls, partridges, quails, wild ducks, fly-catchers, widgeons, turtle-doves, pigeons, reedbirds, parrots, sparrows, eagles, hawks, owls, and kestrels they sell likewise the skins of some birds of prey, with their feathers, head, beak, and claws. There are also sold rabbits, hares, deer, and little dogs, which are raised for eating and castrated. There is also an herb street, where may be obtained all sorts of roots and medicinal herbs that the country affords. There are apothecaries' shops, where prepared medicines, liquids, ointments, and plasters are sold; barbers' shops, where they wash and shave the head; and restaurateurs, that furnish food and drink at a certain price. There is also a class of men like those called in Castile porters, for carrying burdens. Wood and coals are seen in abundance, and braziers of earthenware for burning coals; mats of various kinds for beds, others of a lighter sort for seats, and for balls and bedrooms. There are all kinds of green vegetables, especially onions, leeks, garlic, watercresses, nasturtium, borage, sorrel, artichokes, and golden thistle; fruits also of numerous descriptions, amongst which are cherries and plums, similar to those in Spain; honey and wax from bees, and from the stalks of maize, which are as sweet as the sugar-cane; honey is also extracted from the plant called maguey, which is superior to sweet or new wine; from the same plant they extract sugar and wine, which they also sell. Different kinds of cotton thread of all colors in skeins are exposed for sale in one quarter of the market, which has the appearance of the silk-market at Granada, although the former is supplied more abundantly. Painters' colors, as numerous as can be found in Spain, and as fine shades; deerskins dressed and undressed, dyed different colors; earthenware of a large size and excellent quality; large and small jars, jugs, pots, bricks, and an endless variety of vessels, all made of fine clay, and all or most of them glazed and painted; maize, or Indian corn, in the grain and in the form of bread, preferred in the grain for its flavor to that of the other islands and terra-firma; pâtés of birds and fish; great quantities of fish, fresh, salt, cooked and uncooked ; the eggs of hens, geese, and of all the other birds I have mentioned, in great abundance, and cakes made of eggs; finally, every thing that can be found throughout the whole country is sold in the markets, comprising articles so numerous that to avoid prolixity and because their names are not retained in my memory, or are unknown to me, I shall not attempt to enumerate them. Every kind of merchandise is sold in a particular street or quarter assigned to it exclusively, and this is the best order is preserved. They sell every thing by number or measure; at least so far we have not observed them to sell any thing by weight. There is a building in the great square that is used as an audience house, where ten or twelve persons, who are magistrates, sit and decide all controversies that arise in the market, and order delinquents to be punished. In the same square there are other persons who go constantly about among the people observing what is sold, and the measures used in selling; and they have been seen to break measures that were not true.
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