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Field name | Value |
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Title | Giambattista Scandella. Series 2 Journals, No. 1 |
Author | Scandella, Giambattista |
Date | 20 May-13 Jun 1798 |
Document Type | Personal Account |
Reference | MSS 101, Series 2, Folder 1 |
Library / Archive | Historical Society of Pennsylvania |
Collection Name | Giambattista Scandella Papers, 1787-1798 |
Description | Contains observations of the American political and justice systems and Constitution (regarding the distribution of power and the fears over the Bill of Rights), comparing slavery in America and Italy, daily routines of slaves (including their labour, food and entertainment), local events in Philadelphia, the French Revolution, the Italian character, crime, English stereotyping of other European nations, the role of the U.S. militia, trade relations, American rain, a journey to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (with observations of villages en route), and conditions in prisons. Includes some newspaper clippings in English and extracts copied from speeches and books on related subjects. |
Series Description | The collection includes a diary and commonplace books containing impressions of America, and medical case records. Journal and commonplace books are both rich in detailed observations about the United States at the end of the 18th century. Scandella's comments touch on a broad range of topics, such as Quakers, race relations, U.S. political culture and system, physical features of the land, Americans' character, and U.S. foreign relations. His notes also discuss a number of prominent Americans he met or befriended, including Washington, Jefferson, and Benjamin Latrobe. Journals and commonplace books include a few American newspaper clippings, which lack citations. The commonplace books also include small drawings of things he observed, such as farm equipment or dams, as well as margin doodles. |
Biographical Note / History | Scandella was born in Italy and was educated as a physician. He came to America c.1796 and settled in Philadelphia in 1797. |
Theme(s) | Politics, Legislation and Governance; Religion, Ethnic Identity and Community Relations; Onward Travel |
Places | Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, United States |
Nationality | Italian; American; French; English |
Keywords | religion, slavery, medical staff, politics, crime, racism, foreign policy, agriculture, commerce, alcohol, food, trade, imports, exports, war, wet weather, prison, legislation |
Additional Information | Please note: Some of the metadata for this document has been taken from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania catalogue. |
Language | Italian; English |
Copyright | Historical Society of Pennsylvania |