Society of Early Americanists

A Letter from SEA Founding President Carla Mulford on the Origins of the SEA

March 12, 2001

Dear SEA colleagues:

At the SEA meeting last week, a number of people asked me how I came to be the Founding President of the Society of Early Americanists. It struck me that there are a number of members newer to the Society who might be interested in this history. Permit me to take a moment here to explain how the Society of Early Americanists came about in the early 1990s and also to thank those who were instrumental in founding of the SEA. This is a long message, so please just trash it should you be uninterested in how we began as a group.

The idea of creating a society for early Americanists from all fields arose in meetings of early Americanists in literary studies who attended the original sessions of the American Literature Association (ALA) beginning about 1989-90. The foundational means of the SEA occurred from two factors: J.A. Leo Lemay sat on the Advisory Board of the then-new American Literature Association, and he requested that the Association make space for sessions for early Americanists; and William J. Scheick generously started up, at the same time, a newsletter he called the Colonial American Authors newsletter. With a potential newsletter for early Americanists in place, and with the strategic assistance of Bill Scheick, Leo Lemay, and Alfred Bendixen (who had founded the American Literature Association), early Americanists were in a good position to start up their own organization.

Our original affiliation came from opportunities, beginning in 1990, offered us for meetings at the American Literature Association. The Society continues to offer sessions with the ALA. Originally, we met at the beautiful Mission Bay location of that Association. Jeffrey Hammond, who arranged with me the ALA sessions for 1991, served as my initial consultant about the idea of a society. With the interest and support of Leo Lemay, Bill Sheick, Alfred Bendixen, and Jeff Hammond, I decided to send an inquiry letter to early Americanists working in the study of literature and culture. At the time, I was serving the Executive Committee of the Modern Language Association's Division of American Literature to 1800 and thus had access to the 1,100+ name list of those who had affiliation with that MLA Division. My original letter about forming a society went out in 1992 to nearly 1,500 early Americanists. *Hundreds* of responses came in! By 1993, sufficient information had been gathered that we might think about organizational issues and finding suitable executive officers.

As my letter had received very positive responses from two persons, Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy and Sharon M. Harris, and as Leo Lemay, Bill Scheick, and Jeff Hammond had said they'd be happy to share in the project in advisory capacity but did not wish to have administrative roles, I asked Rosemary Guruswamy to serve as a Founding Vice President and Sharon M. Harris to serve as Founding Executive Coordinator. (I would serve as Founding President, as you know.) We came on board and into existence in 1994, with charters, tax status, and all necessary documents in place, and with Bill Scheick's newsletter generously assisting our efforts.

Within the first half-year of the official formation of the Society of Early Americanists, Raymond Craig generously offered to set up the listserve you are currently reading from. And then within another half-year, Michael Clark also very generously offered his time and services in enabling the Society to use his website at UC-Irvine.

The strength of any Society exists in the solidarity of its members. Our Society formed because of the generous and collegial support of many people. Most important to the Society's formation were the 300 + persons who originally joined the Society and made up its charter membership.

Let me conclude this long message by thanking those original members and thanking my original co-workers in the endeavour, William J. Scheick, J.A. Leo Lemay, Alfred Bendixen, Jeffrey Hammond, Rosemary F. Guruswamy, Sharon M. Harris (who performed the really major task of bringing our paperwork into order and control), Raymond Craig, and Michael Clark. These are the individuals who made the original Society possible, and I remain very grateful for their encouragement and support in those early years.

Since those days a decade ago, the Society has taken on additional laborers, from new presidents to new contributors to both newsletter and website to new members. The collective efforts of individuals made the Society possible and collective efforts of individuals continue to sustain its endeavors. The conference last week was a shining example of what can occur when people work together toward common goals. Congratulations to the conference organizers!

Best wishes,

Carla Mulford, Founding President