Justin is a senior from New Jersey double majoring in History and Political Science, with concentrations in American History and American Politics. His primary research interest is looking at how elections, political parties, and coalitions determine political decision-making and impact the history we know and love today. This is an interest cultivated from years of Wikipedia searches on presidential elections and politicians, and reading books on how politics has evolved over our nation's history. Specifically, Justin is fascinated by the Civil War and how the political landscape constantly evolved in the years leading up to, during, and after the conflict, and how this impacted elected officials, political leaders, and regular citizens alike. Outside of research, Justin is the President of the Penn Government and Politics Association, Penn's largest non-partisan political club, as well as a member of the History Undergraduate Advisory Board, Penn Hillel, Penn Model Congress, and WQHS.
Justin Greenman
Wolf Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellow
2020—2021 Forum on Choice
Justin Greenman
History and Political Science
Loyalty and Disloyalty in Urban America: A Comparative Study of New York City and Philadelphia Politics During the Civil War
This project will be a comparative study of New York City and Philadelphia politics during the Civil War. Throughout historiography and common knowledge of both cities during the Civil War, the two cities have acquired contrasting perceptions. New York City, in large part thanks to its well-documented draft riots, is perceived as a disloyal, racist city, while Philadelphia, in large part thanks to its colonial legacy and lack of similar riots and anti-Lincoln actions, is perceived as a loyal and pro-war city. I will seek to establish how political actors, including politicians, organized religion, and the media, chose to portray their policies and positions during the Civil War and how these then connected to how they and others defined “loyalty” and “disloyalty” during that conflict.