A Mighty Change: An Anthology of Deaf American Writing, 1816-1864 (Gallaudet Classics in Deaf Studies Series, Vol. 2) (Volume 2)

“I need not tell you that a mighty change has taken place within the last half century, a change for the better,” Alphonso Johnson, the president of the Empire State Association of Deaf-Mutes, signed to hundreds of assembled deaf people in 1869. Johnson pointed to an important truth: the first half of the 19th century was a period of transformation for deaf Americans, a time that saw the rise of deaf education and the coalescence of the nation's deaf community. This volume contains original writing by deaf people that both directed and reflected this remarkable period of change. It begins with works by Laurent Clerc, the deaf Frenchman who came to the United Sates in 1816 to help found the first permanent school for deaf students in the nation. Partially through is writing, Clerc impressed hearing Americans–most of whom had never met an educated deaf person before–with his intelligence and humanity. Other deaf writers shared their views with society through the democratic power of print. Included here are selections by James Nack, a deaf poet who surprised readers with his mellifluous verse; John Burnet, who published a book of original essays, fiction, and poetry; Edmund Booth, a frontiersman and journalist; John Carlin, who galvanized the drive for a national college for deaf people; Laura Redden, a high-achieving student who would go on to become an accomplished reporter; and Adele Jewel, a homeless deaf woman living in Michigan. The final sections contain documents related to deaf events and issues at mid-century: the grand reunion of alumni of the American Asylum for the Deaf in 1850; the dedication of the Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet monument in Hartford; the debate over the viability of a deaf state; and the triumphant inauguration of the National Deaf-Mute College (now Gallaudet University) in 1864, which in many ways culminated this period of change. Taken together, the individual texts in this remarkable collection provide a valuable historical record and a direct glimpse of the experiences, attitudes, and rhetoric of deaf Americans during this time of change.

Gallaudet University Press recently inaugurated a new series, Gallaudet Classics in Deaf Studies, with the mission of returning to print historically significant writings on Deaf culture. In this second publication in the series, Christopher Krentz has gathered original writings and speeches by deaf Americans beginning with Laurent Clerc's 1816 journal entries during his voyage to America to co-found the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and ending in 1864 with John Carlin and Clerc speaking at the dedication of the National Deaf-Mute College (now Gallaudet University). As the title of the book reminds us, quoting a deaf man in the 1860s, this was a period of a remarkable and "mighty change for deaf Americans.The collection is modest in its range with the writings of about a dozen deaf people selected for their literary qualities as well as their historical significance. As Krentz points out in his introduction, the writers represent only that minority within the deaf community who find written English a congenial mode of expression. Nevertheless, there is gold here for anyone with an interest in deaf history. Having in one place the extraordinary 1850s debate between J.J. Flournoy, Edmund Booth, and others on the question of whether deaf Americans ought to seek the establishment of a deaf state is worth the price of the book in itself.In addition, Krentz has written a fine introductory essay to put the selections into historical context, as well as a brief introduction to each chapter, and textual notes to elucidate obscure references or to elaborate points of interest. Teachers of Deaf or Disability Studies will find the book useful for their undergraduate courses and no scholar of Deaf history or literature will want to be without a copy on the shelf.-- Douglas Baynton, Department of History, University of Iowa Christopher Krentz teaches English and American Sign Language at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

Gallaudet University Press recently inaugurated a new series, Gallaudet Classics in Deaf Studies, with the mission of returning to print historically significant writings on Deaf culture. In this second publication in the series, Christopher Krentz has gathered original writings and speeches by deaf Americans beginning with Laurent Clerc's 1816 journal entries during his voyage to America to co-found the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and ending in 1864 with John Carlin and Clerc speaking at the dedication of the National Deaf-Mute College (now Gallaudet University). As the title of the book reminds us, quoting a deaf man in the 1860s, this was a period of a remarkable and "mighty change for deaf Americans." The collection is modest in its range with the writings of about a dozen deaf people selected for their literary qualities as well as their historical significance. As Krentz points out in his introduction, the writers represent only that minority within the deaf community who find written English a congenial mode of expression. Nevertheless, there is gold here for anyone with an interest in deaf history. Having in one place the extraordinary 1850s debate between J.J. Flournoy, Edmund Booth, and others on the question of whether deaf Americans ought to seek the establishment of a deaf state is worth the price of the book in itself. In addition, Krentz has written a fine introductory essay to put the selections into historical context, as well as a brief introduction to each chapter, and textual notes to elucidate obscure references or to elaborate points of interest. Teachers of Deaf or Disability Studies will find the book useful for their undergraduate courses and no scholar of Deaf history or literature will want to be without a copy on the shelf The Early Part Of The Nineteenth Century Marked A Dramatic Shift In The Perception Of Deaf People In The United States, Beginning In 1817 With The Establishment Of The First Permanent School For Deaf Students By Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet And Laurent Clerc. Theirs And Other Residential Schools Established During This Period Allowed Deaf Pupils To Demonstrate That They Could Succeed In The Classroom And Beyond, Disproving The Then Commonly Held Belief That Deaf People Were Deficient And Ineducable. A Mighty Change: An Anthology Of Deaf American Writing, 1816-1864 Documents This Deaf Cultural Explosion In Dramatic Style, Through The Letters, Essays, And Poetry Of Deaf Individuals Who Experienced This Transformation Firsthand.--jacket. Individual Authors. Laurent Clerc ; James Nack ; John Burnet ; John Carlin ; Edmund Booth ; Adele M. Jewel ; Laura Redden Searing -- Events And Issues. 1850 Grand Reunion ; Dedication Of The Gallaudet Monument ; Debate Over A Deaf Commonwealth ; Inauguration Of The National Deaf-mute College. Christopher Krentz, Editor. Includes Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The early part of the nineteenth century marked a dramatic shift in the perception of deaf people in the United States, beginning in 1817 with the establishment of the first permanent school for deaf students by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc. Theirs and other residential schools established during this period allowed deaf pupils to demonstrate that they could succeed in the classroom and beyond, disproving the then commonly held belief that deaf people were deficient and ineducable. A Mighty Change: An Anthology of Deaf American Writing, 1816-1864 documents this deaf cultural explosion in dramatic style, through the letters, essays, and poetry of deaf individuals who experienced this transformation firsthand."--BOOK JACKET