Abby Mullen

Category: Naval History

  • Another Look at Our Diplomatic Graph

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    I wrote yesterday about my network graph about U.S.-Barbary diplomatic relations. The graph I showed was color-coded by nationality. That code was hand-inputted by me, no computation or algorithm necessary. A perhaps more interesting, and enigmatic, color-coding is the result of running a modularity algorithm in Gephi. This algorithm creates sub-communities from the large network…

  • A Graph of Diplomatic Wrangling in Algiers

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    When the United States became independent after the American Revolution, it had to struggle to protect its seaborne commerce in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Americans had to rely on the goodwill of France, Portugal, and other European powers because the United States lacked the naval power necessary to protect its own shipping. Historical Background  Americans…

  • The Message of the Historical Medium

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    [This post was written for my graduate class, “Doing Digital Humanities,” and originally posted on that course’s blog.] Literary scholars and creative writers spend quite a bit of time thinking about the medium in which they work. Historians tend to think about such things less, since literary theory often doesn’t work well with historical inquiry.…

  • High Seas Trader: Games and Maritime History

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    Using video or computer games as pedagogical tools has always been a concept that I’ve harbored deep skepticism about. Perhaps it’s the old fogey in me that wants to say, “If it’s not hard work, it’s not learning!” History is also more complicated than one person’s ability to control it. Thus, old games like Oregon…

  • Database of Officers of the Line

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    Becoming an officer of the line in the navy is a bit like getting on the tenure track in academia. Not all officers are created equal–officers such as pursers, sailing masters, and chaplains were classified as officers and received the preferential treatment given to officers. But they could never be captains–they were not in line…

  • 2012: Year in Review

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    Today is my 27th birthday. This year has been a mixture of continuities and new things, sometimes both at once. I’d like to record just a few of the highlights of my year. 1. Starting my PhD at Northeastern University. It has been great to be back in school. I’ve been out of school for…

  • Poetry and War: Constitution v. Guerriere

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    abbymullen
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    In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of War of 1812, here’s an excerpt from Columbia’s Naval Victories, a poem about the naval victories of the Americans, written in 1813 by Benjamin Allen. — In war a lion, though a lamb in peace, Hull [1. A brief biography of Isaac Hull can be found here.] bears the flag…