Amanda Seim
Portfolio
RESEARCH & WRITING
Residential Change in a Commercial District: A Community Profile of Pittsburgh's East Liberty Neighborhood
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I created this community profile of Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood as my final project for Dr. Andrew Simpson's graduate course, The History of Urban America. This report synthesizes information from census data, residential security maps, social surveys and other primary sources that I gathered from multiple archives and repositories, both online and physical.
Working Towards an Inclusive East Liberty: Combatting Displacement through Community Engagement in Public History
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I presented this paper at the 2018 annual Urban History Association conference. A study of the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of East Liberty in Pittsburgh, it discusses how development in the neighborhood in the past twenty years is perpetuating Pittsburgh’s postindustrial trend of catering to young, middle-upper income professionals at the expense of established communities. The paper includes recommendations for more inclusivity and shared authority in redevelopment efforts.
How a Coal Mining Film Shook the Nation​
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The University of Pittsburgh's undergraduate journal, Forbes and Fifth, published this paper in the Fall 2017. focuses on the 1935 Warner Brothers film, Black Fury, a Pennsylvania coal mining film based on true events near Pittsburgh. Black Fury gained national attention when it was released, and it was banned in several states due to its labor-related content. Utilizing primary sources, this paper analyzes the making of the film during the Hays Code regime of Hollywood censorship and documents the national response.
Revisiting the Coal and Iron Police​
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The Coal and Iron Police were a private police force that existed between the 1860s and 1930s in mining and other industrial towns in America. Employed by coal and iron companies but authorized by the state government, they became infamous for breaking union strikes. Although the Coal and Iron Police were infamous for their brutality, little is known about the actual members. This essay seeks to illuminate the individual perspective that is missing from the historical record.