The Society for Historians of the Early American Republic awards book prizes to original monographs that deal with the period 1776-1861 in America. Certainly, some books that we consider cover a slightly broader time frame than this. But in order to qualify, the book must make its primary scholarly contribution to the history of the early American republic. Within that period, the book may treat virtually any aspect of history, including political, economic, social, or cultural history. In addition, let me emphasize that the book must be an original monograph or a collection of original essays. Editions of primary sources will not be considered, nor will new editions of old books or anthologies of previously published essays.
Mary Kelley Prize for 2023
The 2023 Mary Kelley Prize went to Kathleen Brown for Undoing Slavery: Bodies, Race, and Rights in the Age of Abolition (University of Pennsylvania Press). Kathleen Brown is a professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicholas L. Syrett received an Honorable Mention for The Trials of Madame Restell: Nineteenth-Century America’s Most Infamous Female Physician and the Campaign to Make Abortion a Crime (New Press). Nicholas Syrett is a professor of History at the University of Kansas.