Dr. Joanne Freeman

Biography

Joanne B. Freeman specializes in politics and political culture during the revolutionary and early national periods of American history. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Her recent book, "Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic" (Yale University Press), won a book award from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic. Freeman is also the editor of "Alexander Hamilton: Writings" (Library of America) and her work was recognized as one of Atlantic Monthly’s “best books” in 2001. Currently, she is working on a project titled "Field of Blood: Congressional Violence in Antebellum America," which examines the physical violence within the U.S. Congress from 1830 to the Civil War. This project suggests that the institution of Congress reflects the nature of American sectionalism and the challenges faced by the nation’s developing democracy. Freeman is a fellow of the Society of American Historians and has received fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Dirksen Congressional Research Center, and the American Historical Association. She has served as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians and was rated one of the nation’s “Top Young Historians” in 2005. Freeman's articles have appeared in a wide range of academic journals, and she has contributed op-ed pieces to The New York Times. Her public engagement includes co-curating museum exhibitions and giving lectures at prestigious venues such as the Smithsonian Museum of American History and Colonial Williamsburg.

Research Interests