This week I began seriously considering topics for my Library of Congress blog post. I started off by reviewing my 2021 Florida Conference of Historians paper to identify areas of expansion. I have narrowed it down to four potential topics:
1) The seizure of slave vessels in Key West prior to the Civil War.
2) The life of Judge William Marvin.
3) A deep dive on the lives and legacy of Key West’s African American leaders such as Sandy Cornish and the 2nd U.S. Colored Troops.
4) An analysis of the political career and home ownership documents of Homer G. Plantz.
Plantz received the least attention in my initial paper. All I had on him was a newspaper article stating that he moved into the abandoned home of a Confederate politician.[1] Preliminary research has revealed that Plantz served as the “U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida… {throughout} 1863-69.”[2] I am most passionate about covering the seizure of slave vessels, but I have an interest in all four topics. Over the last week I have received additional info on the Library of Congress’ resources. As such I have made a list of information I am looking for and where to look for it. There will be more on this in next week's post as I am currently in the early phases of researching.
This week I also attended three Library of Congress webinars. The most fascinating was a webinar on the Library of Congress’ manuscripts and rare books departments. This meeting also elaborated on how technology is used to make incredible discoveries. I was amazed that the Library of Congress used “hyperspectral imaging” when analyzing Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence. Originally Thomas Jefferson referred to himself and his fellow Americans as “subjects” of the British crown. Jefferson decided against that wording and wrote the more powerful word: “citizens.”[3] While I will not have access to hyperspectral imaging, this story served as a reminder of the power of modern technology and the privilege it is to remotely intern for the Library of Congress.
[1] Plantz, Homer G. “From Florida. KEY WEST, Florida, Dec. 6, 1863.” New Jerusalem Messenger. January 23, 1864. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=h9k&AN=79497060&authtype=shib&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=current&groupid=main&authtype=shib&kw=true&acc=false&lpId=NA&ppId=divp0003&twPV=&xOff=525.8333740234375&yOff=5344.1669921875&zm=6&fs=&rot=0&docMapOpen=true&pageMapOpen=true [2] “Plantz Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms.” House of Names. https://www.houseofnames.com/plantz-family-crest#cite_note-8; Kestenbaum, Lawrence. “U.S. District Attorneys in Florida.” The Political Graveyard. https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/FL/ofc/usatty.html [3] “Subject to Change.” Wise Guide Archives, August 2010. https://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/aug10/subject.html
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