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Starr Center for the


Study of the American Experience

Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience explores the American experience in all its diversity and complexity, seeks creative approaches to illuminating the past, and inspires thoughtful conversation informed by history. Through educational programs, scholarship and public outreach, and a special focus on written history, the Starr Center seeks to bridge the divide between the academic world and the public at large.

Starr Center Stories

  • David Blight will speak about his new biography of Frederick Douglass on Feb. 7.
    Douglass Biographer at WC

    David Blight, author of Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, will speak at Washington College on February 7.

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    Gone Sailing: An Afternoon on the Chester River

    PHOTO GALLERY: Staff, students and friends spent a magical afternoon aboard the majestic Virginia on Oct. 26 as part of the festivities of Downrigging Weekend. Although the weather was not on our side, ...

  • Hidden History: ‘Ellis Island’ for African-Americans

    01/11/19: WAVY

    Adam Goodheart, Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and author of 1861: The Civil War Awakening, is interviewed by WAVY in Hampton, Virginia, about the historic significance of Fort Monroe. Goodheart says the fort may be called “the Ellis Island for African Americans,” because of the thousands of slaves who escaped to the Union-held fort during the Civil War.

  • As a rising senior, Rachel Brown ’16 was a student leader on a new-student orientation program aboard the Sultana.
    Writing the World

    Landing a job at National Geographic even before she had graduated, Rachel Brown ’16 hit the ground learning and hasn’t slowed down yet.

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    Tigerland: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing

    PHOTO GALLERY: It was a night to remember on Nov. 15 as students, staff and people from all over the Chestertown community braved the frosty weather to enjoy a talk by renowned author and journalist, ...

  • Sara Underwood works on a museum display.
    Exploring Early America

    Through the Starr Center’s Explore America Summer Internship program, history major Sara Underwood ’19 is working as a curatorial and collections management intern at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.