- Chism, Kahlil. “Harriet Tubman: Spy, Veteran, and Widow.” OAH Magazine of History 19, no. 2 (2005): 47-51. Accessed February 26, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163763.
- This lesson plan from OAH Magazine, argues that it is important to understand how Harriet Tubman’s race and gender can help us understand her experiences, focusing specifically on her work as a spy. By discussing her experiences as a spy in relation to her intersecting identities, it sheds light on the broader experiences and attitudes of other black female spies and how society treated them. I am interested in it as a profile, since she is probably one of the more famous names I have come across for my project, and to understand broader attitudes.
- A Conduct Incompatible with Their Character: Patriots, Loyalists, & Spies: Espionage in the American Revolution and the Underlying Social & Ideological Revolution in the American Colonies: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1mt6m596
- This article argues that understanding the evolution of espionage methods during the American Revolution are critical to understanding the formation of American identity and the attitudes of the era. It provides a good overview of the role of espionage amidst varying loyalties and a description of how methods transitioned. I plan on using this to understand the relationship between espionage history and military history and to find specific stories.
- Belohlavek, John M. Patriots, Prostitutes, and Spies: Women and the Mexican-American War. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2017.
- This is a book about women’s roles during the Mexican-American war. It argues that women played various roles on both sides of the conflict that often do not fit with modern idealized views of the era. Despite what I was hoping for based on the title, it does not seem to deal with spies very much. However, it would give me a good idea of the role of women in this conflict and some information on women’s involvement in guerilla warfare, which does correspond with sabotage.
- Kochin, Michael S., and Michael Taylor. 2020. An independent empire. Diplomacy & war in the making of the United States. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. EBook edition, accessed from https://www-fulcrum-org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/concern/monographs/4q77ft07d
- This book argues that military victory did not ensure success throughout and at the end of the American Revolution and had to be supplemented by experimentation in foreign policy. It describes foreign policy during and after the Revolutionary war, through the War of 1812, and a little beyond. I intend to use it to get context for the functioning of spies in early America and also to learn a bit about Chevalier d’Eon, who might qualify as a spy from a minority demographic, although I will have to do more research.
- Dooley, John F. History of Cryptography and Cryptanalysis: Codes, Ciphers, and Their Algorithms. Cham: Springer, 2018. EBook edition accessed from https://link-springer-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/book/10.1007%2F978-3-319-90443-6#about
- This book argues that understanding the development of codes and their usage throughout American history sheds light on their usage. While this book generally focuses on the technical elements of espionage, such as codes, it does so from a historical perspective. There is a chapter about the American Revolution and a chapter about the American Civil War that I will be using. This writer focuses on dominant perspectives on espionage, it appears, since he mentions white men involved more often than women or POC and plays up their significance more, but it would be helpful to get an idea of what the dominant narrative is and to place certain spies within a context.
- Martin, Amy J. “America’s Evolution of Women and Their Roles in the Intelligence Community.” Journal of Strategic Security 8, no. 3 (2015): 99-109. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26465249.
- While the bulk of the argument of this source is that women have grown in their roles in American, the section I will be focusing on argues that women had an advantage in espionage in the American Revolution and Civil War because of the role of their gender in society. It provides a good overview of what women did in the intelligence community over the years and how early American society saw them. I will use it to understand the structure that they worked in in these eras.
- Halliman, Calvin L. Jr. “Black Women at Arms: The Underrepresentation of Black Servicewomen in the US History Curriculum.” Black History Bulletin 80, no. 2 (2017): 21-26. Accessed February 26, 2021. doi:10.5323/blachistbull.80.2.0021.
- The main argument of this article is that African American women have contributed to the U.S. military throughout history in significant ways, but often get overlooked due to their intersecting racial and gender identities. Halliman goes on to describe contributions that often go overlooked in traditional textbooks and k-12 settings, such as involving espionage. This will provide some specific situations I can site along with an argument about why these stories are not told more often. I also might look up specific people listed in this article for further research.
- Andrew, Christopher. “Intelligence and American Independence.” In Secret World: A History of Intelligence, 292-311. New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2018. Accessed February 26, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv5cg9n4.19.
- The main argument of this article is that intelligence was critical to the strategies of America, England, and France during the American Revolution, highlighting some of its intricacies. It would help with the early end of the time line I am working with for my project. It mentions Agent 355, also known as “The Lady,” who I think could be a source of valuable insight into the experience of women in early American spy rings. What I want is specifically on page 305, the fourteenth page of the digital file.
- King, LaGarrett J., and Jason Williamson. “The African Americans’ Revolution: Black Patriots, Black Founders, and the Concept of Interest Convergence.” Black History Bulletin 82, no. 1 (2019): 10-14. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5323/blachistbull.82.1.0010.
- This is an introduction to a lesson plan that deals with James Armistead Lafayette and other African Americans involved American Revolution, although my main interest is in Lafayette for his spy work. It argues that students need to learn about black historical figures who were important in the American Revolution with the understanding that they were fighting for different reasons than white patriots and went on to be important to culture. It provides a brief overview of Lafayette, who I have been trying to find reliable information about because of what I had heard about his involvement in the war. I will use this to get an understanding of his contributions and as a jumping-off point to find more information.
- Whyte, James H. “Divided Loyalties in Washington during the Civil War.” Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 60/62 (1960): 103-22. Accessed February 26, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40067221.
- This article argues that there were diverse loyalties within Washington, DC during the American Civil War, which resulted in martial law conflicts and intelligence leaks. Starting on page 114, the twelfth page of the digital file, Whyte talks about Rose Greenhow, a Confederate spy, and her network. I am interested both in the details of her experience and Whyte’s commentary on how her gender and that of her network (they were all women) contributed to her ability to function under the radar.
The Intrepid Historian
Rebecca Gackler’s digital history website.
