The Birmingham Center of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America recognized outstanding student scholarship and faculty achievement at its annual American Independence Awards luncheon held March 27.
Seven students from Samford University’s Department of History were honored for their exceptional papers on early American history, receiving over $4,000 in cash prizes through an essay competition sponsored by the Colonial Dames in partnership with the department.
“I am grateful for the partnership with the Colonial Dames and their generosity in this annual event,” said department chair Jonathan Den Hartog. “It is a great opportunity to recognize outstanding student work.”
Den Hartog also presented the following awards.
First place went to Jacob Payne for his essay Republican Remedies for Republican Discontents: The Influence of Republicanism on the Formation of American Political Thought. Matthew DiPrima received second place for From Jefferson to Emerson: The Corruption of the Pursuit of Happiness, while Logan Sanford took third with The President’s Military Powers in the Early Republic.
Garrison Brothers and Victoria Campbell tied for fourth place with their essays Crisis of Authority: States’ Rights Versus Federal Supremacy and The Roots of Judicial Review: Challenging the Novelty of Marbury v. Madison respectively. Honorable mentions were awarded to Adam Piedrahita for Igniting the Flames: The Causes of the American Revolutionary War and Davis Alverson for Hidden Patriots: American Privateers during the Revolutionary War.
A longstanding tradition since 1958, the Colonial Dames annually present a bound volume of winning student essays to Samford’s Special Collection and University Archives. This year marked the dedication of Volume LXIX to Samford History Professor W. Jason Wallace, Richard J. Stockham Chair of Western Intellectual History. Wallace, who joined the Samford faculty in 2002, became one of only a few non-members of the organization to receive this honor.
Caroline Green Satterfield, former Samford history professor, presented the dedication to Wallace. Satterfield had also recommended Wallace for this distinction.
Volume LXVIII, containing last year’s essays, was also formally presented to the library by Jennifer Taylor, chair of Samford’s Special Collection and University Archives.
The Colonial Dames have supported and encouraged undergraduate historical research at Samford since 1952, promoting appreciation for the people, places and ideas that helped shape the United States through initiatives in historic preservation, scholarship and public engagement.
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