Martha Ballard Week – Feb 4 & 6
by Prof. Hangen - February 4th, 2019
This week we’ll be reading from / about the diary of Martha Ballard, a midwife, herbalist and “social healer” in late 18th century rural Maine. She is the subject of a Pulitzer-prizewinning history book, A Midwife’s Tale by Harvard history professor Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and a 1997 PBS / American Experience documentary. The diary itself — fragile, handwritten in fading ink — has been digitized so scholars like us can study it in depth, and is available at dohistory.org.
For Monday, prepare to discuss the chapter on 1787 (Course Reader)
For Wednesday, bring laptops or devices so we can use the digital version of the diary
