Welcome to H-SHEAR, H-Net's Network on the History of the Early American Republic

H-SHEAR is dedicated to enhancing scholarly communication on the history of the early American republic, during the period 1775 to 1860. From 1996 to 2018 the network was sponsored by SHEAR, the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic; it is owned by H-Net, Humanities & Social Sciences Online, currently centered at Michigan State University. H-SHEAR intends to foster productive exchange of ideas and materials among historically-oriented individuals of a social scientific or humanistic perspective -- the network is not limited to professional, academic historians. Archivists, librarians, public historians, and students at any level with a mature interest in the craft of history during this period are also welcome. Through this network, subscribers and moderators will communicate current research and research interests; discuss new articles, books, papers, approaches, methods and tools of analysis; test new ideas and share comments and tips on teaching.

Our Subscription and Posting Policies:

  • H-SHEAR welcomes anyone with a serious interest in our subject.
  • In accordance with H-Net's policies, all posts must have a person as an author and/or be signed.
  • All subscribers should fill in the Name fields in their H-Net profiles and provide as much information about their professional interests as they feel comfortable disclosing.
  • The editors may withhold posts that do not identify the author and require more information in the profile in order to qualify for publication.
  • Announcements must contain reliable contact information and be authorized for publication by the organization or individual indicated as a sponsor or organizer of the event or publication.  Third-party forwarded announcements are discouraged unless the individual submitting the post explains his connection to the announcement therein.
  • H-SHEAR is edited by a team of editors certified by the H-Net Council.  The editors will review all material prior to publication and retain the right to reject anything deemed unsuitable for publication on the network, including flames, ad hominems, copyright violations, or material not germane to scholars and teachers of the early American republic.
  • Publication on H-Net is permanent; do not submit material in the expectation of privacy or that it can be removed later.

H-SHEAR invites subscribers to join the conversation; contributors can upload documents, images, or multimedia used for syllabi, outlines, handouts, bibliographies, guides to term papers, listings of new sources and archives, and reports on new software, datasets and cds.  As a member of H-Net, H-SHEAR will post announcements about conferences, fellowships and grants, research and publication opportunities, and jobs. We are especially interested in reaching college faculty who already have, or plan to teach courses on this period. H-SHEAR will therefore actively solicit syllabi, reading lists, term paper guides, ideas on films and slides, and tips and comments that will be of use to the teacher who wants to add a single lecture, or an entire course.