
The 2020 King's College Georgian Papers Fellow-Angel Luke O'Donnell
King’s College and the Washington Library are proud to announce Angel Luke O'Donnell as the third King's College-Georgian Papers Fellow. O'Donnell is a member of the Liberal Arts department at King’s College London. He is excited to visit Mount Vernon because both the library’s resources as well as his month in residence will be invaluable in completing his book manuscript “Printed for the Consideration of the People”: Cheap Print, Popular Politics, and the 1776 Pennsylvania State Constitution. The book analyses how print technology facilitated popular practices that led to the 1776 Pennsylvania State Constitution. The book assesses the effect of communication technology on government, focusing on the politics made possible by the printing press. Alongside writing the book, the fellowship is also a chance to visit Mount Vernon as a historic site of public interest. His next project is ‘A History of Mortgages: Industrial Investment Before Capitalism, 1690 - 1819’ which examines the role of mortgages as a secure credit line for the entrepreneurs who industrialised America. As such, the fellowship will be a fantastic opportunity to understand Mount Vernon’s approach to the role of heritage sites. Mount Vernon is a pioneering institution for historic preservation and has a huge number of lessons to impart about engaging researchers of all levels with resources on the estate. Overall, Angel believes the fellowship will be immeasurably helpful for his own research, and is confident that what he learns at Mount Vernon will also help me contribute more to the King’s community generally and the Georgian Papers Programme specifically.