Introduction to Section III of the Pearson Diaries

By Paxton Ouellette

Throughout Section III, I hoped to contextualize the world that Pearson found himself in. Given that we are almost two hundred years removed from the time that he began his diary, it was important for me to allow my readers to feel immersed in his surroundings and understand how he felt when he wrote. At this point in time, slavery was still allowed in a large number of the States, much of the west and middle portions of the country did not exist as we know it, and industry was just beginning to change the landscape of the North while plantations still remained the dominant economic way of life in the South. Images, maps, and definitions of words that are no longer commonly used were key elements that I felt would allow me to achieve my goals.

One of the concepts I had the most fun exploring was the development of Schenectady, New York. As of a few months ago, I was unaware that Erie Boulevard is named as a result of the Erie Canal once running through what is now a road, which explains both its name and odd path. As Schenectady has changed so much, understanding the geography of the city during the early 1800s is critical to understanding where Pearson was when he describes the area. In order to inform my reader of changes such as this, I found and brought in a map from the era of Pearson that we were discussing to illuminate the differences. Another topic that I found interesting—the early 1800s is my favorite portion of American history, as so much was changing within the United States in such a short period of time—and wanted to explore further was Pearson’s involvement in the Second Great Awakening, which was a religious revival throughout the early nineteenth century. Individuals involved preferred emotional preaching over sermons that were disconnected and advocated for the Temperance Movement, which looked to restrict or prohibit alcohol consumption. A drawing depicting the ideas put forth in the Temperance Movement is included in my section, as well as definitions of the religious references that Pearson makes throughout the text.

While discussing these historical differences, I also hoped to put some of his antiquated ideas into a 21st-century context, allowing my reader to understand the world that Pearson existed in—a world that was racist, misogynistic, and discriminatory towards others that did not fit within the status quo, with most of this language aimed at those of Dutch heritage, women, and African Americans. While I believe that we should not try to excuse things that Pearson said that are rightly understood to be problematic in 2021, we need to understand why he said them and what made it seem okay and acceptable at the time they were written. Continuing to have an open mind while reading some of the more frustrating diary entries was certainly hard given that my own personal opinions differ greatly with Pearson’s. As he existed within the time when biases against others that differed from him were socially acceptable, degrading language towards others is a frequent theme that exists among his entries. While this was the case, I am also aware that as a historian, this experience allowed me to improve my ability to absorb information while attempting to contextualize the documents when needed in order to give a more holistic and modern perspective.

As I am currently in the process of applying to law school, I also see this experience as a way of developing my mind to view things in an abstract, yet unbiased way. As a lawyer, I know I will be confronted with issues that may seem foreign to me or that I may disagree with, yet I am aware that I need to understand a problem to the fullest extent in order to correctly judge the situation. This experience of working with the Pearson Diaries has provided me with the ability to do further research in order to explore all possible solutions to a problem, while still looking through a critical lens when necessary. In order to provide a proper account of the past, all things need to be taken into consideration to form a complete narrative. While this is not always possible due to the amount of information and time one has at their disposal—something that is certainly true when one is on a tight deadline as I was—I feel as if I have been able to do this throughout Section III of the diaries and look forward to utilizing these skills in both my future studies and career.