When SAH was accepted as an Affiliate Society by the American Historical Association in 2003, we qualified for participation in AHA's annual meetings. AHA, the primary "umbrella organization" for practicing historians in the Unites States, has over 14,000 members from the academic, library and museum and independent historians communities, and annual meetings host several sessions on a myriad number of historical topics.

At the 2004 AHA annual meeting in Washington, D. C., SAH fielded an information table, facilitated by Director Michael Bromley. While exhibiting a nominal presence in the midst of so many historians, Michael reported his time there as productive and enlighting.

At the 2006 AHA meeting, held January 5 through 8 in Philadelphia, SAH went mainstream, organizing our own session concerning our raison d'etre. Organized by Director Pat Yongue and chaired by President Mike Berger, the session, "Making Cars, Making History: The Automobile's Impact on the United States National Identity" presented four papers to an audience of interested members and non-memebers.

Ford scholar David Lewis, professor of business history at the University of Michigan, spoke on "The Public Image of Henry Ford: a Twenty-First Century Perspective."

His presentation was followed by "The Socialization of the Automobile in Satuire in the Early Motor Age," by Michael Bromely, an independent scholar.

Craig Pascoe, of Georgia State College and University explore "The Small Automobile Manufacturer and the National Marketplace: The Anderson Motor Company, 1915-24," an examination of the difficulties of manufacturing automobiles in the South.

Deborah Clarke, associate professor of English and women's studies at Pennsylvania State University, presented "Automotive Citizenship: Gender, Ethnicity, and American Identity," drawn from work on a forthcoming book.

The audience, attracted primarily from the listing in the meeting program, nearly filled the room. A lively discussion ensued, to the extent that the session greatly exceeded its allotted time. In addition to the chair and panelists, members attending included Arthur Jones, Kit Foster, Jack Owens, Tracy Busch, Rick Shnitzler and Carla Lesh. AHA meetings are typically short on technological history. The enthusiasm at our session indicated that the automobile may finally be accepted as part of mainstream history.

Plans are now formulation for a presence at the 2007 AHA annual meeting being held in Atlanta. Interested members should contact Pat Yongue, chair of SAH's Committee on Academics.