"American" studies resources

Yes, so I've been having a bit of a "musicals" obsession lately...

Remember I sent you all that email about how the song "American Dream" might be interesting to look at in the context of an American history course or any kind of reflection on "what does it mean to be American" or "what is American"?

Well, I just re-discovered the soundtrack to "Ragtime," a Broadway musical that opened in 1998 and which I saw in Greenville my sophomore year at Furman... and it's fabulous for examining issues of race, immigration, etc... and the "American dream." Takes place in the 1920s, NYC. Nice song called "success" talks about "America, the land of success," etc... among one of its main characters is a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe who arrives thinking everything will be hunky dory in America and of course, discovered otherwise. It would be great for an American history class b/c it refers to the reform movements of the time, talks about the development of Ragtime, the womens' suffragist movement, immigrant workers' rights, etc... with lots of references to historical figures (lol, one of my favorite lines in the "success" song is... "I'm J.P Morgan, my friends, the wealthiest man on this earth!! You immigrants, look up to me, and you'll see what money is worth!" LOL... sung in a totally cheesy "musical" tune--it's great. HAHAH.)

Anyway, if anyone has any other ideas as to articles, pop culture things, music, movies, plays, etc that examine the question of "what is America"? please post them here and comments...

~Tracy

Testing...

Hello all... just posting to say hello! Too tired and too late to try to figure out something witty to say! :o)
~Tracy

Jocelyn and Alison (plus Libby) come to the Oregon Country Fair

July 8-10 outside Eugene OR. We got wheels in case y'all don't. www.oregoncountryfair.org

Hit me back.

What is next for each of us?

Hey All -

Where will you be for the summer? Respond here using the comment feature and we can have a little whats what for whos who.

Aimee and I are coming back to Boston next Tuesday May 31 (and Jocelyn, we would love to drop by to get my coat I left there). We leave June 1 for Chiapas, returning to Portland OR July 3. August 1 we leave Oregon and head East, stopping in Iowa for a Unitarian Universalist young adult conference (Opus) and then setting into Somerville in late August.

Hoping that everyone can get onto this Blog as a member-author.

?

will it work?