Tufts Historical Review

From the Office of the Editors-in-Chief,

The Tufts Historical Review Editorial Board is thrilled to announce the call for submissions for Volume XIX of the Tufts Historical Review, an academic journal that seeks both undergraduate and graduate research papers of thehighest caliber.

This year, we have selected Liberty as the theme for the journal. Since the beginnings of humankind, there has been an eternal quest for “liberty”—by individuals, by communities, by nation-states—that has defined human history.

We’re looking forward to hearing a broad selection of interpretations of the theme. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, we have selected the theme Liberty in order to highlight the diverse historical examples and definitions of the term, both in the United States and beyond its borders. The word “liberty” can mean many things, including but not limited to the following: John Locke’s natural rights, civil liberties, state sovereignty, universal suffrage, or simply the right to chart one’s own life. We want to hear novel examples of moments of “liberty,” whether it is the story of the United States’ independence, the Haitian Revolution, the end of Apartheid, the Arab Spring, or how any other individual or group of people gained freedom from their oppressors. We ask that submissions tell the story of how moments or the idea of “liberty” shaped a historical event, led to monumental discoveries, sparked a revolution, or changed a pre-existing value system. We’re looking for stories of “liberty,” in any definition or context, that have left any sized mark on history.

The Tufts Historical Review is committed to publishing the finest undergraduate and graduate historical research. As such, we require that all submissions subscribe to the highest standards of academic quality. Failure to comply with the following requirements may result in the rejection of a submission.

• All submissions must be cited in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition.

• No submissions that have previously appeared in another publication will be considered eligible.

• A cover page should be attached to each submission, including the title of the paper, the author’s name, email, and university affiliation. Please indicate your academic program and year of graduation in your submission email.

• Applicant’s information should only appear on the cover page.

• The subject of submissions should relate to events taking place before 1991.

• Submissions should range between3,000 and 8,000 words. Longer submissions are acceptable but will be subject to editing for brevity if selected.

• Submissions from undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.A., Ph.D.) students are welcome.

• Please note that submissions need not explicitly reference the word “Liberty” to be eligible for consideration. We encourage broad interpretations of the theme!

The Tufts Historical Review is one of the few undergraduate-led journals of its kind in the United States. A highly selective publication intended to recognize outstanding student work in history and the humanities, the Tufts Historical Review is distributed to the libraries of leading research institutions, including Harvard University, Brown University, Oxford University, the College of William and Mary, and Georgetown University. Alongside an active student board of undergraduates, the Tufts Historical Review works closely with an advisory board, including renowned scholars, such as Tufts University President Sunil Kumar.

All submissions must be emailed as Word documents (.docx) or PDF files to tuftshistoricalreview@gmail.com by February 15, 2026, for review by the Editorial Board. For more information, please visit us online at this link (https://sites.tufts.edu/historicalreview/). If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us through this email as well. We hope you can forward this information to students and faculty in your department, and we appreciate your assistance in promoting excellence in undergraduate and graduate historical scholarship.

Our whole editorial staff looks forward to reading your submissions!

Julia Zipoli & Chloë Schechter

Editors-in-Chief, Tufts Historical Review, 2025-2026

tuftshistoricalreview@gmail.com

The Tufts Historical Review is pleased to announce that our 18th volume, Trials, is now published digitally and in print! This volume features four articles, two editorials, and a book review written by undergraduate students at colleges in the United States centered on the theme of Sacrifice. The print edition is available on the Tufts University campus in East Hall, the Campus Center, and Tisch Library, or through our subscription service, found at this link. The journal can also be read as a PDF at this link.

Thank you to our authors, staff editors, and copy editors for their diligent work on our newest volume. Please enjoy Trials!

We are not currently accepting submissions for the upcoming THR journal. Please stay tuned for our 2025-2026 academic year journal theme and call to submissions!

The Tufts Historical Review is happy to announce that our 17th volume, Sacrifice, is now published digitally and in print! This volume features three articles, an editorial, a book review, and a lecture transcription and interview from undergraduates in the United States centered around the theme of Sacrifice. The print edition is available on the Tufts University campus in East Hall, the Campus Center, and Tisch Library, or through our subscription service found this link. The journal can also be found as a PDF at this link.

Thank you to our authors, staff editors, and copy editors for their hard work on this volume. Please enjoy Sacrifice!

The submission deadline for THR Vol. 18: Trials has been extended to February 15th. We look forward to reading your submissions!

From the Office of the Editors-in-Chief,

The Tufts Historical Review Editorial Board is thrilled to announce the call for submissions for Volume XVIII of the Tufts Historical Review, an academic journal that seeks both undergraduate and graduate research papers of the highest caliber.

This year, we have selected Trials as the theme for the journal. In a courtroom, on a battlefield, in a scientific lab, or a person’s inner life, trials are the defining challenges that shape history.

We’re looking forward to hearing a broad selection of interpretations of the theme. We want to hear new angles of classic trial stories, perhaps an unearthed narrative from the Salem Witch Trials. Or stories that may not have been told as trials by name but involve a test of the human will, like the scaling of the cliffs of Normandy, or an individual person’s struggle against some foe, internal or external. Tell us the stories of trials that have led to or attempted to lead to innovations or discoveries — the development of papyrus by the ancient Egyptians or the failure of the thalidomide pill. We’re looking for the stories of the tests, in any form, that have left any sized mark on history.

The Tufts Historical Review is committed to publishing the finest undergraduate and graduate historical research. As such, we require that all submissions subscribe to the highest standards of academic quality. Failure to comply with the following requirements may result in the rejection of a submission.

• All submissions must be cited in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition.
• No submissions that have previously appeared in another publication will be considered eligible.
• A cover page should be attached to each submission, including the title of the paper, the author’s name, email, and university affiliation. Please indicate your academic program in your submission email.
• Applicant’s information should only appear on the cover page.
• The subject of submissions should relate to events taking place before 1991.
• Submissions should range between 3,000 and 8,000 words. Longer submissions are acceptable but will be subject to editing for brevity if selected.
• Submissions from undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.A., Ph.D.) students are welcome.
• Please note that submissions need not explicitly reference the word “Trials” to be eligible for consideration. We encourage broad interpretations of the theme!

The Tufts Historical Review is one of the few undergraduate-led journals of its kind in the United States. A highly selective publication intended to recognize outstanding student work in history and the humanities, the Tufts Historical Review is distributed to the libraries of leading research institutions, including Harvard University, Brown University, Oxford University, the College of William and Mary, and Georgetown University. Alongside an active student board of undergraduate and graduate students, the Tufts Historical Review works closely with an advisory board, including renowned scholars, such as Tufts University President Sunil Kumar.

All submissions must be emailed as Word documents (.docx) or PDF files to tuftshistoricalreview@gmail.com by February 1, 2025, for review by the editorial board.

Our whole editorial staff looks forward to reading your submissions!

Anna O’Sullivan & Julia Zipoli

Editors-in-Chief, Tufts Historical Review, 2024-2025

The 14th Annual Presidential Lecture presented by the Tufts Historical Review and the Office of the President will be given on Saturday, April 27th, at 2 pm in Cabot 205 by Professor David L. Howell of Harvard University. Professor Howell will be speaking about the vendetta of the 47 rōnin and relating the event to the theme of Volume XVII of the Tufts Historical Review: Sacrifice. Please join us this Saturday! Refreshments will be provided.

The submission deadline for THR Vol. 17: Sacrifice has been extended to February 15th. We look forward to reading your submissions!

The executive and editorial boards of Tufts Historical Review are so excited to announce the call for submissions for Volume XVII: Sacrifice.

From the Editors-in-Chief, Carl Svahn and Anna O’Sullivan:

The Tufts Historical Review Editorial Board is delighted to announce the call for submissions for Volume XVII of the Tufts Historical Review, an academic journal that seeks both undergraduate and graduate research papers of the highest caliber.

This year, we have selected Sacrifice as the theme for the journal. Sacrifice has taken many roles and forms throughout history, from religious martyrdom to battlefield bloodshed. But the impact of a sacrifice on history extends far beyond even the most rudimentary examples. 

Sacrifice has been at the root of some of the most definitive moments for states and peoples. Sacrifice can operate on a large scale; the compromising (or refusal to do so) of certain values has shaped many impactful moments in history, like the Age of Revolution and the birth of the German Empire. Yet, at the same time, some of the most striking sacrifices have come from a single person. For example, the willingness to give up one’s own future to protect their family, as seen with Empress Pulcheria of the Byzantine Empire, or the commitment to values even in the face of seemingly impossible odds and inevitable retribution, as seen with figures like Nelson Mandela and Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. 

The question of what one is willing to give up, or not, for their own desires and the needs of themselves or others has always shaped who that person, conflict, or movement truly is. All of history is touched by sacrifice.

The Tufts Historical Review is committed to publishing the finest undergraduate and graduate historical research. As such, we require that all submissions subscribe to the highest standards of academic quality. Failure to comply with the following requirements may result in the rejection of a submission.

• All submissions must be cited in accordance with the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition.
• No submissions that have previously appeared in another publication will be considered eligible.
• A cover page should be attached to each submission, including the title of the paper, the author’s name, email, and university affiliation. Please indicate your academic program in your submission email.
• Applicant’s information should only appear on the cover page.
• The subject of submissions should relate to events taking place before 1991
• Submissions should range between 3,000 and 8,000 words. Longer submissions are acceptable but will be subject to editing for brevity if selected.
• Submissions from undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.A., Ph.D.) students are welcome.
• Please note that submissions need not explicitly reference the word “Sacrifice” to be eligible for consideration. We encourage broad interpretations of the theme!

The Tufts Historical Review is one of the few undergraduate-led journals of its kind in the United States. A highly selective publication intended to recognize outstanding student work in history and the humanities, the Tufts Historical Review is distributed to the libraries of leading research institutions, including Harvard University, Brown University, Oxford University, the College of William and Mary, and Georgetown University. Alongside an active student board of undergraduate and graduate students, the Tufts Historical Review works closely with an advisory board, including renowned scholars, such as Tufts University President Sunil Kumar.

All submissions must be emailed as Word documents (.docx) or PDF files to tuftshistoricalreview@gmail.com by February 1, 2024, for review by the editorial board. We appreciate your assistance in promoting excellence in undergraduate and graduate historical scholarship, and we look forward to reading your submissions!

The 16th volume of the Tufts Historical Review: Devotion is now published and available online and in print! This volume features four articles and an editorial from undergraduates in the United States and Canada centered around the theme of Devotion. The print edition is available on the Tufts University campus in East Hall, the Campus Center, and Tisch Library, or through our subscription service found this link. The journal can also be found as a PDF at this link.

We would like to thank our authors, staff editors, and copy editors for their hard work. Happy reading!