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xv  Acknowledgments In the space of time it took to see these pages to print, there was much living—and dying. I begin by acknowledging the untimely loss of Robert Takesh’s quiet grace, Jim Disbrow’s contagious laughter, Teresa Hom’s joyful spirit, Ana Margarita Gómez’s strong voice, Pearl McMahon’s wry humor, Teri DiMatteo’s loving kindness, and most of all, Tina McMahon’s unconditional love. Despite the losses, the living has been joyous. All my thanks and love go to my family: Jack, Elizabeth, and Jackson Kroll; John, Joey, and Skylar McMahon; Marie, Steve, Amber, Amanda, and Marilyn Takesh; and Debbie, Rich, Steve, Mike, and Nicole Kramer. You all enrich my everyday life in countless ways. Jack, Liz, and Jax Kroll have lived with this book for a very long time (nearly as long as I have lived with the house renovations). I thank them for their patience and understanding when research and writing took me away from them;I also thank them for taking me away from the past and pulling me back to the present. For their love and laughter, I thank Sandra Auletta, Catherine Gravino, Mark LaSalle, Joey McMahon, Debby and Kate Schriver, Bob and Teri Serafin, Steve Takesh, Sandy Trezza, and especially Marie McMahon Takesh—the best sister on the planet! My deepest gratitude goes to Audrey Brigliadoro, Ellen Pfeffer, and Raji Thron for continually inspiring me through the grace of their yoga practices and communities. In the midst of living and laughing, as walls were torn down and rebuilt, this book emerged. The book began to take shape in its current form in large part thanks to a National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowship, held in residence at the Library Company of Philadelphia. I am indebted to James Green, Connie King,and the entire Library Company staff for providing such a supportive environment for ideas to flourish. I also had the good fortune to share my residence with fellow fellows Will Mackintosh, Jeff Kaja, Peter Reed, and Jonathan Chu. The strength of this book is reflected in the archival materials I uncovered while conducting research. Ron Becker, Bonita Grant, and the entire staff at the Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University xvi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS have provided years of research support, for which I will always be grateful. I express my appreciation to the staff and librarians at the following institutions , for research assistance and for permission to quote from their collections : American Philosophical Society, Andover Historical Society, American Antiquarian Society, Duke University Library, Historical Society of Pennsylvania , NewYork Historical Society,Schlesinger Library,Princeton University Library, and Virginia Historical Society. I have incorporated portions of my previously published article, “‘Of the Utmost Importance to Our Country’: Women, Education, and Society, 1780–1820,” Journal of the Early Republic 29, no. 3 (fall 2009):475–506. Funds from the Research Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Stipend Program at William Paterson University , as well as a sabbatical leave, provided crucial support as I worked on the manuscript. Both intellectually and personally, I continue to benefit from a wonderful group of early Americanists: Robert Churchill, Sara Gronim, Greg Knouff, Pete Messer, and Serena Zabin. I offer belated, but heartfelt, thanks to Jill Anderson, Jennie Brier, Kim Brodkin, Finis Dunaway, Chris Fisher, Matt Guterl, James Levy, Pat McDevitt, and especially Neil Brody Miller for their support and friendship during my graduate work at Rutgers. At William Paterson University (WPU), I am fortunate to work with a wonderful group of colleagues and friends (consider yourself all included in these acknowledgments !),especially Malissa Williams,who keep me smiling and laughing. And although Michael Innis-Jiménez left WPU, he remains a trusted colleague and friend. The officers and members of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR) have created a vibrant intellectual community that serves a model by which all other conferences are judged. Special thanks and praise go to Charlene Boyer Lewis (my long-standing SHEAR ambassador), Rodney Hessinger, Margaret Sumner, Will Mackintosh, and Nick Syrett for providing some of my best SHEAR memories. For their support,encouragement , and good company, I am grateful to Catherine Allgor, Andrew Burstein , Sara First, Kara French, Cassie Good, Katie Jorgensen Gray, C. Dallett Hemphill, Nancy Isenberg,Anya Jabour,Mary Kelley, Catherine Kelly,Susan Klepp, Albrecht Koschnik, James Lewis, Jen Manion, and Peter Onuf. Michael McGandy at Cornell University Press provided expert editorial assistance. He, along with the two...

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