American Historical Association
Encyclopedia
The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest and largest society of historian
s and professors of history
in the United States
. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials. It publishes The American Historical Review five times a year, with scholarly articles and book reviews. The AHA is the major organization for historians working in the United States, while the Organization of American Historians
is the major organization for historians who study and teach about the United States.
The group received a congressional charter
in 1889, establishing it "for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, and for kindred purposes in the interest of American history, and of history in America."
The association publishes The American Historical Review, a major journal of history scholarship covering all historical topics since ancient history and Perspectives on History, the monthly news magazine of the profession. In 2006 the AHA started a blog focused on the latest happenings in the broad discipline of history and the professional practice of the craft that draws on the staff, research, and activities of the AHA.
The association's annual meeting each January brings together more than 5,000 historians from around the United States to discuss the latest research, look for jobs, and discuss how to be better historians and teachers. Many affiliated historical societies hold their annual meetings simultaneously. The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held in Boston, MA January 6–9, 2011. The theme of the meeting will be History, Society, and the Sacred. The Association's web site offers extensive information on the current state of the profession, tips on history careers, and an extensive archive of historical materials(including the G.I. Roundtable series, a series of pamphlets prepared for the War Department in World War II
).
The Association also administers two major fellowships, 24 book prizes, and a number of small research grants.
As James J. Sheehan
(2005) points out, the association always tried to serve multiple constituencies, including archivists, members of state and local historical societies, teachers, and historians, who looked to it - and not always with success or satisfaction - for representation and support of people. The early leaders of the association tended to be gentlemen with the leisure and means to write many of the great 19th-century works of history, such as George Bancroft
, Justin Winsor
, and James Ford Rhodes
. Much of the early work of the association focused on establishing a common sense of purpose and gathering the materials of research through its Historical Manuscripts and Public Archives Commissions.
was president of Cornell University
. and its first secretary, Herbert Baxter Adams
, established one of the first history Ph.D. programs to follow the new German seminary method at Johns Hopkins University. The clearest expression of this academic impulse in history came in the development of the American Historical Review in 1895. Formed by historians at a number of the most important universities in the United States, it followed the model of European history journals. Under the early editorship of J. Franklin Jameson
, the Review published several long scholarly articles every issue, only after they had been vetted by scholars and approved by the editor. Each issue also reviewed a number of history books for their conformity to the new professional norms and scholarly standards that were taught at leading graduate schools to Ph.D. candidates. From the AHR, Sheehan concludes, "a junior scholar learned what it meant to be a historian of a certain sort".
Meringolo (2004) compares academic and public history. Unlike academic history, public history is typically a collaborative effort, does not necessarily rely on primary research, is more democratic in participation, and does not aspire to absolute "scientific" objectivity. Historical museums, heritage movements and historical preservation are considered public history. Though public history originated in the AHA it separated out in the 1930s due to differences in methodology, focus, and purpose. The foundations of public history were laid on the middle ground between academic history and the public audience by National Park Service administrators during the 1920s-30s.
The academicians insisted on a perspective that looked beyond particular localities to a larger national and international perspectives, and that in practice it should be done along modern and scientific lines. To that end, the association actively promoted excellence in the area of research, the association published a series of annual reports through the Smithsonian Institution
and adopted the American Historical Review in 1898 to provide early outlets for this new brand of professional scholarship.
level as a preparation for college, and wrestled with issues about how the field should relate to the other social studies. The Association also played a decisive role in lobbying the federal government to preserve and protect its own documents and records. After extensive lobbying by AHA Secretary Waldo Leland and Jameson, Congress established the National Archives and Records Administration
in 1934.
As the interests of historians in colleges and universities gained prominence in the association, other areas and activities tended to fall by the wayside. The Manuscripts and Public Archives Commissions were abandoned in the 1930s, while projects related to original research and the publication of scholarship gained ever-greater prominence.
movement. Meanwhile, the association also seems to be losing ground in its efforts to be a leader among academic historians, as well. The association started to investigate cases of professional misconduct in 1987, but ceased the effort in 2005 "because it has proven to be ineffective for responding to misconduct in the historical profession."
. The prize was given to him for his founding of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. Stanford University Professor James J. Sheehan
delivered his presidential address, "The Problem of Sovereignty in European History." Dr. Arnita Jones, the Executive Secretary, reported a disturbing trend: "Individual membership has for long been drawn significantly on tenured faculty members in higher education institutions, but the percentage of tenured and tenure-track faculty has shrunk over the years, with serious implications for our membership base."
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s and professors of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials. It publishes The American Historical Review five times a year, with scholarly articles and book reviews. The AHA is the major organization for historians working in the United States, while the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
is the major organization for historians who study and teach about the United States.
The group received a congressional charter
Congressional charter
A congressional charter is a law passed by the United States Congress that states the mission, authority and activities of a group. Congress issued federal charters from 1791 until 1992 under Title 36 of the United States Code....
in 1889, establishing it "for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, and for kindred purposes in the interest of American history, and of history in America."
Current activities
As an umbrella organization for the profession, the AHA works with other major historical organizations and acts as a public advocate for the field. Within the profession, the association defines ethical behavior and best practices, particularly through its "Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct" The AHA also develops standards for good practice in teaching and history textbooks, but these have limited influence The association generally works to influence history policy through the National Coalition for History.The association publishes The American Historical Review, a major journal of history scholarship covering all historical topics since ancient history and Perspectives on History, the monthly news magazine of the profession. In 2006 the AHA started a blog focused on the latest happenings in the broad discipline of history and the professional practice of the craft that draws on the staff, research, and activities of the AHA.
The association's annual meeting each January brings together more than 5,000 historians from around the United States to discuss the latest research, look for jobs, and discuss how to be better historians and teachers. Many affiliated historical societies hold their annual meetings simultaneously. The 2011 Annual Meeting will be held in Boston, MA January 6–9, 2011. The theme of the meeting will be History, Society, and the Sacred. The Association's web site offers extensive information on the current state of the profession, tips on history careers, and an extensive archive of historical materials(including the G.I. Roundtable series, a series of pamphlets prepared for the War Department in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
).
The Association also administers two major fellowships, 24 book prizes, and a number of small research grants.
History
James J. Sheehan
James J. Sheehan is an American historian of modern Germany and the former president of the American Historical Association .Born in San Francisco in 1937, Sheehan earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1958 and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964...
(2005) points out, the association always tried to serve multiple constituencies, including archivists, members of state and local historical societies, teachers, and historians, who looked to it - and not always with success or satisfaction - for representation and support of people. The early leaders of the association tended to be gentlemen with the leisure and means to write many of the great 19th-century works of history, such as George Bancroft
George Bancroft
George Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845...
, Justin Winsor
Justin Winsor
Justin Winsor was a prominent American writer, librarian, and historian.-Background and education:Winsor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of Nathaniel Winsor III and Ann Thomas Howland Winsor...
, and James Ford Rhodes
James Ford Rhodes
James Ford Rhodes , was an American industrialist and historian born in Cleveland, Ohio.He attended New York University beginning in 1865. He also attended the Collège de France. During his studies in Europe he visited ironworks and steelworks...
. Much of the early work of the association focused on establishing a common sense of purpose and gathering the materials of research through its Historical Manuscripts and Public Archives Commissions.
Publication Standards
From the beginning, however, the association was dominated by historians employed at colleges and universities, and served a critical role in defining their interests as a profession. The association's first president, Andrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson White
Andrew Dickson White was a U.S. diplomat, historian, and educator, who was the co-founder of Cornell University.-Family and personal life:...
was president of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. and its first secretary, Herbert Baxter Adams
Herbert Baxter Adams
Herbert Baxter Adams was an American educator and historian.Adams was born to Nathaniel Dickinson Adams and Harriet Adams in Shutesbury, Massachusetts. On his mother's side, he was a descendant of Thomas Hastings who came from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in...
, established one of the first history Ph.D. programs to follow the new German seminary method at Johns Hopkins University. The clearest expression of this academic impulse in history came in the development of the American Historical Review in 1895. Formed by historians at a number of the most important universities in the United States, it followed the model of European history journals. Under the early editorship of J. Franklin Jameson
J. Franklin Jameson
John Franklin Jameson was an American historian, author, and journal editor who played a major role in the professional activities of American historians in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
, the Review published several long scholarly articles every issue, only after they had been vetted by scholars and approved by the editor. Each issue also reviewed a number of history books for their conformity to the new professional norms and scholarly standards that were taught at leading graduate schools to Ph.D. candidates. From the AHR, Sheehan concludes, "a junior scholar learned what it meant to be a historian of a certain sort".
Meringolo (2004) compares academic and public history. Unlike academic history, public history is typically a collaborative effort, does not necessarily rely on primary research, is more democratic in participation, and does not aspire to absolute "scientific" objectivity. Historical museums, heritage movements and historical preservation are considered public history. Though public history originated in the AHA it separated out in the 1930s due to differences in methodology, focus, and purpose. The foundations of public history were laid on the middle ground between academic history and the public audience by National Park Service administrators during the 1920s-30s.
The academicians insisted on a perspective that looked beyond particular localities to a larger national and international perspectives, and that in practice it should be done along modern and scientific lines. To that end, the association actively promoted excellence in the area of research, the association published a series of annual reports through the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and adopted the American Historical Review in 1898 to provide early outlets for this new brand of professional scholarship.
Teaching and the Committee of Seven
In the area of teaching, the association's Committee of Seven Report on The Study of History in Schools largely defined the way history would be taught at the high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
level as a preparation for college, and wrestled with issues about how the field should relate to the other social studies. The Association also played a decisive role in lobbying the federal government to preserve and protect its own documents and records. After extensive lobbying by AHA Secretary Waldo Leland and Jameson, Congress established the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
in 1934.
As the interests of historians in colleges and universities gained prominence in the association, other areas and activities tended to fall by the wayside. The Manuscripts and Public Archives Commissions were abandoned in the 1930s, while projects related to original research and the publication of scholarship gained ever-greater prominence.
Recent Developments
In recent years, the association seems to have recognized their problem and tried to come to terms with the growing public historyPublic history
Public history is a term that describes the broad range of activities undertaken by people with some training in the discipline of history who are generally working outside of specialized academic settings. Public history practice has quite deep roots in the areas of historic preservation,...
movement. Meanwhile, the association also seems to be losing ground in its efforts to be a leader among academic historians, as well. The association started to investigate cases of professional misconduct in 1987, but ceased the effort in 2005 "because it has proven to be ineffective for responding to misconduct in the historical profession."
2010 Convention
The 2010 Annual Meeting was held in San Diego, CA. January 7–10. The theme of the meeting was Oceans, Islands, Continents.2009 Convention
The 2009 Annual Meeting was held in New York, N.Y. January 2–5, 2009. The theme of the meeting was Globalizing Historiography.2008 Convention
The 2008 Annual Meeting was held in Washington D.C. January 3–6, 2008. The theme of the meeting was Uneven Developments.2007 Convention
The 2007 Annual Meeting was held January 4–7, 2007 in downtown Atlanta. The theme of the meeting was "Unstable Subjects: Practicing History in Unsettled Times." A list of all the meeting's sessions and events is available in the 2007 online program. But the meeting gained the most public attention at the time for a controversy that arose when Atlanta police arrested a distinguished professor for jaywalking between hotels, and held him in jail overnight.2006 convention
The 120th Annual meeting of the American Historical Association took place 5–8 January 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In attendance were more than 5,600 participants. The AHA sponsored over 200 official AHA panels and some 110 other panels were sponsored by affiliated history societies. The diverse panels included sessions on ancient, world, comparative, and American history. Over 150 private and non-profit companies, commercial, and university presses exhibited their wares in the exhibit hall. AHA's Theodore Roosevelt- Woodrow Wilson Public Service Award was presented to Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
. The prize was given to him for his founding of the Shoah Visual History Foundation. Stanford University Professor James J. Sheehan
James J. Sheehan
James J. Sheehan is an American historian of modern Germany and the former president of the American Historical Association .Born in San Francisco in 1937, Sheehan earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1958 and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964...
delivered his presidential address, "The Problem of Sovereignty in European History." Dr. Arnita Jones, the Executive Secretary, reported a disturbing trend: "Individual membership has for long been drawn significantly on tenured faculty members in higher education institutions, but the percentage of tenured and tenure-track faculty has shrunk over the years, with serious implications for our membership base."
Current officers and principal staff
- President: Barbara Metcalf, (Univ of California, Davis)
- President-elect: Anthony T. Grafton (Princeton Univ.)
- Vice President, Professional Division: Trudy Peterson (independent archivist)
- Vice President, Research Division: Iris Berger (University at Albany, SUNY)
- Vice President, Teaching Division: Patricia Nelson Limerick (Univ. of Colorado)
- Executive Director: James R. Grossman
- Editor, American Historical Review: Robert A. Schneider
- Editor, Perspectives on History: Pillarisetti Sudhir
Past presidents
Presidents of the AHA are elected annually and give a president's address at the annual meeting:- Andrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson WhiteAndrew Dickson White was a U.S. diplomat, historian, and educator, who was the co-founder of Cornell University.-Family and personal life:...
(1884, 1885) - George BancroftGeorge BancroftGeorge Bancroft was an American historian and statesman who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state and at the national level. During his tenure as U.S. Secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845...
(1886) - Justin WinsorJustin WinsorJustin Winsor was a prominent American writer, librarian, and historian.-Background and education:Winsor was born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of Nathaniel Winsor III and Ann Thomas Howland Winsor...
(1887) - William Frederick PooleWilliam Frederick PooleWilliam Frederick Poole was an American bibliographer and librarian.-Biography:He graduated from Yale University in 1849, where he assisted John Edmands, who was a student at the Brothers in Unity Library...
(1888) - Charles K. Adams (1889)
- John JayJohn Jay (lawyer)John Jay was an American lawyer and diplomat, son of William Jay and a grandson of Chief Justice John Jay.-Biography:...
(1890) - William Wirt HenryWilliam Wirt HenryWilliam Wirt Henry was a Virginia lawyer and politician, historian and writer, a biographer of Patrick Henry—his grandfather, and who served in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, and was president of The Virginia Bar Association and the American Historical Association.Born in Charlotte...
(1891) - James Burrill AngellJames Burrill AngellJames Burrill Angell was an American educator, academic administrator, and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan . Under his leadership Michigan gained prominence as an elite public university...
(1892-93) - Henry Adams (1893-94)
- George Frisbie HoarGeorge Frisbie HoarGeorge Frisbie Hoar was a prominent United States politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts. Hoar was born in Concord, Massachusetts...
(1895) - Richard Salter StorrsRichard Salter StorrsRichard Salter Storrs was an American Congregational clergyman.-Biography:Storrs was born in Braintree, Massachusetts...
(1896) - James SchoulerJames SchoulerJames Schouler , American lawyer and historian, was best known for his historical work History of the United States under the Constitution, 1789-1865.-Biography:Schouler was born in West Cambridge , Massachusetts...
(1897) - George Park FisherGeorge Park FisherGeorge Park Fisher was an American theologian and historian who was noted as a teacher and a prolific writer. He was born in Wrentham, Massachusetts, graduated from Brown University in 1847, studied theology at Yale Divinity School and in Germany, and graduated from the Andover Theological...
(1898) - James Ford RhodesJames Ford RhodesJames Ford Rhodes , was an American industrialist and historian born in Cleveland, Ohio.He attended New York University beginning in 1865. He also attended the Collège de France. During his studies in Europe he visited ironworks and steelworks...
(1899) - Edward EgglestonEdward EgglestonEdward Eggleston was an American historian and novelist.-Biography:Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. As a child, he was too ill to regularly attend school, so his education was primarily provided by his father. He became an ordained Methodist...
(1900) - Charles F. AdamsCharles Francis Adams, Jr.Charles Francis Adams II was a member of the prominent Adams family, and son of Charles Francis Adams, Sr. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
(1901) - Alfred Thayer MahanAlfred Thayer MahanAlfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
(1902) - Henry Charles LeaHenry Charles LeaHenry Charles Lea was an American historian, civic reformer, and political activist. Lea was born and lived in Philadelphia.-Parents:...
(1903) - Goldwin SmithGoldwin SmithGoldwin Smith was a British-Canadian historian and journalist.- Early years :He was born at Reading, Berkshire. He was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford, and after a brilliant undergraduate career he was elected to a fellowship at University College, Oxford...
(1904) - John Bach McMasterJohn Bach McMasterJohn Bach McMaster was an American historian.He was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, a native of New York, was a banker and planter at New Orleans at the beginning of the Civil War...
(1905) - Simeon E. Baldwin (1906)
- J. Franklin JamesonJ. Franklin JamesonJohn Franklin Jameson was an American historian, author, and journal editor who played a major role in the professional activities of American historians in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
(1907) - George Burton AdamsGeorge Burton AdamsGeorge Burton Adams was an American medievalist historian who taught at Yale University from 1888 to 1925. He was noted for his written works as well as his 1908 address as president of the American Historical Association, which lamented the encroachment of the social sciences on the field of...
(1908) - Albert Bushnell HartAlbert Bushnell HartAlbert Bushnell Hart, Ph.D. , was an American historian, writer, and teacher. One of the first generation of professionally trained historians in the United States, a prolific author and editor of historical works, Albert Bushnell Hart became, as Samuel Eliot Morison described him, "The Grand Old...
(1909) - Frederick Jackson TurnerFrederick Jackson TurnerFrederick Jackson Turner was an American historian in the early 20th century. He is best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History", whose ideas are referred to as the Frontier Thesis. He is also known for his theories of geographical sectionalism...
(1910) - William M. Sloane (1911)
- Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
(1912) - William A. Dunning (1913)
- Andrew C. McLaughlinAndrew C. McLaughlinAndrew Cunningham McLaughlin was an American historian born to Scottish immigrant parents. He received his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Michigan. By 1903 he was a respected historian and in 1914 he was named President of the American Historical Association...
(1914) - H. Morse StephensH. Morse StephensH. Morse Stephens was an historian and professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley who helped to purchase the Bancroft Library, and who worked to build archives of California history, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and World War I.-Early life:Henry Morse Stephens was born...
(1915) - George Lincoln BurrGeorge Lincoln BurrGeorge Lincoln Burr was a U.S. historian, diplomat, author, and educator, best known as a Professor of History and Librarian at Cornell University, and as the closest collaborator of Andrew Dickson White, the first President of Cornell.Burr was born in Albany, New York and entered the in 1869,...
(1916) - Worthington C. FordWorthington C. FordWorthington Chauncey Ford was an American historian and editor of a number of collections of documents from early American history. He served in a variety of government positions: first, as the chief of the Bureau of Statistics for the U.S. Department of State, from 1885–1889, then at the U.S...
(1917) - William R. Thayer (1918-19)
- Edward ChanningEdward ChanningEdward Perkins Channing was a conservative American historian and an author of a monumental History of the United States in six volumes, for which he won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for History. His thorough research in printed sources and judicious judgments made the book a standard reference for...
(1920) - Jean Jules JusserandJean Jules JusserandJean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand was a French author and diplomat. He was the French ambassador to the United States during World War I.-Career:...
(1921) - Charles H. HaskinsCharles H. HaskinsCharles Homer Haskins was an American historian of the Middle Ages, and advisor to US President Woodrow Wilson. He is considered to be America's first medieval historian.-Biography:...
(1922) - Edward P. Cheyney (1923)
- Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
(1924, died before completing his term) - Charles M. AndrewsCharles McLean AndrewsCharles McLean Andrews was one of the most distinguished American historians of his time and widely recognized as a leading authority on American colonial history...
(1924, 1925) - Dana C. Munro (1926)
- Henry Osborn Taylor (1927)
- James H. Breasted (1928)
- James Harvey RobinsonJames Harvey RobinsonJames Harvey Robinson was an American historian.Robinson was born Bloomington, Illinois. He taught history at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University , becoming a full professor in 1895...
(1929) - Evarts Boutell GreeneEvarts Boutell GreeneEvarts Boutell Greene was an American historian, born in Kobe, Japan, where his parents were missionaries. He graduated Harvard University , and began teaching American history at the University of Illinois, where he was also dean of the college of arts and literature.Called to Columbia...
(1930) - Carl Lotus Becker (1931)
- Herbert Eugene BoltonHerbert Eugene BoltonHerbert Eugene Bolton was an American historian and one of the most prominent authorities on Spanish American history...
(1932) - Charles A. BeardCharles A. BeardCharles Austin Beard was, with Frederick Jackson Turner, one of the most influential American historians of the first half of the 20th century. He published hundreds of monographs, textbooks and interpretive studies in both history and political science...
(1933) - William E. Dodd (1934)
- Michael I. RostovtzeffMichael RostovtzeffMikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff, or Rostovtsev was one of the 20th century's foremost authorities on ancient Greek, Iranian, and Roman history....
(1935) - Charles McIlwainCharles Howard McIlwainCharles Howard McIlwain was a highly regarded scholar of Anglo-American constitutional history, and won the 1924 Pulitzer Prize for History...
(1936) - Guy Stanton FordGuy Stanton FordGuy Stanton Ford was the sixth president of the University of Minnesota, serving from 1938 to 1941, professor of history and dean of the Graduate School since 1913. In November 1941 he became executive secretary of the American Historical Association in Washington, D.C...
(1937) - Laurence M. Larson (1938)
- William Scott Ferguson (1939)
- Max FarrandMax FarrandMax Farrand, Ph.D. was an American university professor and writer of history. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, United States. He graduated from Princeton Max Farrand, Ph.D. (March 29, 1869 – June 17, 1945) was an American university professor and writer of history. He was born in Newark, New...
(1940) - James Westfall ThompsonJames Westfall ThompsonJames Westfall Thompson was an American historian specializing in the history of medieval and early modern Europe, particularly of the Holy Roman Empire and France...
(1941) - Arthur M. Schlesinger (1942)
- Nellie NeilsonNellie NeilsonNellie Neilson was an American historian.-Biography:Neilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to William George Neilson and Mary Louise Neilson. She attended Bryn Mawr College, from which she received an A.B. in 1893, an A.M. in 1894, and a Ph.D. in 1899...
(1943) - William L. Westermann (1944)
- Carlton J. H. Hayes (1945)
- Sidney B. Fay (1946)
- Thomas J. WertenbakerThomas J. WertenbakerThomas Jefferson Wertenbaker was a leading American historian and Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton University...
(1947) - Kenneth Scott LatouretteKenneth Scott LatouretteKenneth Scott Latourette was an American historian of China, Japan, and world Christianity. His formative experiences as Christian missionary and educator in early 20th century China shaped his life's work...
(1948) - Conyers Read (1949)
- Samuel E. Morison (1950)
- Robert Livingston SchuylerRobert Livingston SchuylerDr. Robert Livingston Schuyler was a prominent scholar of early American history and British history of the same time period. He was an educator and an editor. He spent most of his academic career at Columbia University.He was born in New York City...
(1951) - James G. RandallJames G. RandallJames G. Randall was an American historian, specializing on Abraham Lincoln and the era of the American Civil War. He taught at the University of Illinois, , where David Herbert Donald was one of his students and continued his traditions. Born in Indiana, he took a B.A. degree from Butler College...
(1952) - Louis GottschalkLouis R. GottschalkLouis Reichenthal Gottschalk was an American historian, an expert on Lafayette and the French Revolution. He taught for many years at the University of Chicago, where he was the Gustavus F. and Ann M...
(1953) - Merle CurtiMerle CurtiMerle Curti was a leading American historian. He taught a large number of PhD students at the University of Wisconsin, and was a leader in developing the fields of social history and intellectual history. As a "Progressive" historian he was deeply committed to democracy, and to the Turnerian...
(1954) - Lynn ThorndikeLynn ThorndikeLynn Thorndike was an American historian of medieval science and alchemy...
(1955) - Dexter PerkinsDexter PerkinsDexter Perkins was one of the most prominent authorities on United States History and served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of American History at the University of Rochester.-Biography:...
(1956) - William L. LangerWilliam L. LangerWilliam Leonard Langer was the chair of the history department at Harvard University and the World War II volunteer head of the Research and Analysis branch of the Office of Strategic Services...
(1957) - Walter Prescott WebbWalter Prescott WebbWalter Prescott Webb was a 20th century U.S. historian and author noted for his groundbreaking historical work on the American West. As president of the Texas State Historical Association, he launched the project that produced the Handbook of Texas...
(1958) - Allan NevinsAllan NevinsAllan Nevins was an American historian and journalist, renowned for his extensive work on the history of the Civil War and his biographies of such figures as President Grover Cleveland, Hamilton Fish, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller.-Life:Born in Camp Point, Illinois, Nevins was educated at...
(1959) - Bernadotte E. Schmitt (1960)
- Samuel Flagg BemisSamuel Flagg BemisSamuel Flagg Bemis was an American historian and biographer. For many years he taught at Yale University. He was also a former President of the American Historical Association and a specialist in American diplomatic history. He was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes.-Biography:Born in Worcester,...
(1961) - Carl BridenbaughCarl BridenbaughCarl Bridenbaugh was an American historian of Colonial America. He had an illustrious career, writing fourteen books and editing or co-editing five more, and he was acclaimed as a historian and teacher.-Career:...
(1962) - Crane BrintonCrane BrintonClarence Crane Brinton was an American historian of France, as well as an historian of ideas...
(1963) - Julian P. BoydJulian P. BoydJulian Parks Boyd CBE was Professor of history at Princeton University. He served as president of the American Historical Association in 1964. For his efforts in preserving the site of the Battle of Hastings, he was appointed an honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire.He edited The...
(1964) - Frederic C. LaneFrederic C. LaneFrederic C. Lane was a historian who specialized in Medieval history with a particular emphasis on the Italian city and region of Venice.-Early Life, Education, ande Family:...
(1965) - Roy F. Nichols (1966)
- Hajo HolbornHajo HolbornHajo Holborn was a German-American historian and specialist in modern German history.- Life :...
(1967) - John K. FairbankJohn K. FairbankJohn King Fairbank , was a prominent American academic and historian of China.-Education and early career:...
(1968) - C. Vann WoodwardC. Vann WoodwardComer Vann Woodward was a preeminent American historian focusing primarily on the American South and race relations. He was considered, along with Richard Hofstadter and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., to be one of the most influential historians of the postwar era, 1940s-1970s, both by scholars and by...
(1969) - R. R. Palmer (1970)
- David M. PotterDavid M. PotterDavid M. Potter was an American historian of the South. He was born in Augusta, Georgia, and graduated from Emory University in 1932. At Yale he worked with Ulrich Bonnell Phillips. His earned his Ph.D. in 1940 and published Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis in 1942...
(1971, died before completing his term) - Joseph R. Strayer (1971)
- Thomas C. CochranThomas C. Cochran (historian)Thomas Childs Cochran was an American economic historian and a pioneer in that field.Born in Manhattan, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from New York University before obtaining his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He taught at N.Y.U...
(1972) - Lynn Townsend White, Jr.Lynn Townsend White, Jr.Lynn Townsend White, Jr. was a professor of medieval history at Princeton, Stanford and, for many years, University of California, Los Angeles. He was president of Mills College, Oakland from 1943 to 1958....
(1973) - Lewis HankeLewis HankeLewis Hanke is a preeminent North American historian of colonial Latin America, and is best known for his writings on the Spanish conquest of Latin America. Hanke, along with two others, Irving A. Leonard and John T...
(1974) - Gordon Wright (1975)
- Richard B. MorrisRichard B. MorrisRichard Brandon Morris was an American historian best known for his pioneering work in colonial American legal history and the early history of American labor. In later years, he shifted his research interests to the constitutional, diplomatic, and political history of the American Revolution and...
(1976) - Charles GibsonCharles GibsonCharles deWolf "Charlie" Gibson is a former American broadcast television anchor and journalist. He was a host of Good Morning America from 1987 to 1998 and 1999 to 2006 and anchor of World News with Charles Gibson from 2006 to 2009....
(1977) - William J. Bouwsma (1978)
- John Hope FranklinJohn Hope FranklinJohn Hope Franklin was a United States historian and past president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Historical Association. Franklin is best known for his work From Slavery to Freedom, first published in 1947, and...
(1979) - David H. PinkneyDavid H. PinkneyDavid H. Pinkney was a renowned scholar in French history, author, and emeritus professor of History at the University of Washington from 1967 until his retirement in 1984....
(1980) - Bernard BailynBernard BailynBernard Bailyn is an American historian, author, and professor specializing in U.S. Colonial and Revolutionary-era History. He has been a professor at Harvard University since 1953. Bailyn has won the Pulitzer Prize for History twice . In 1998 the National Endowment for the Humanities selected...
(1981) - Gordon A. CraigGordon A. CraigGordon Alexander Craig was a Scottish-American historian of German history and of diplomatic history.-Early life:...
(1982) - Philip D. CurtinPhilip D. CurtinPhilip De Armind Curtin was a Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University and historian on Africa and the Atlantic slave trade...
(1983) - Arthur S. LinkArthur S. LinkArthur S. Link was a leading American historian and a scholarly authority on Woodrow Wilson.-Biography:Born in New Market, Virginia, to a German Lutheran family, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received a B.A. in 1941 and a Ph.D. in 1945...
(1984) - William H. McNeillWilliam H. McNeillWilliam Hardy McNeill is an American world historian and author and is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 1947.-Biography:...
(1985) - Carl N. DeglerCarl N. DeglerCarl Neumann Degler is an American historian. Degler is a past president of the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association...
(1986) - Natalie Zemon DavisNatalie Zemon DavisNatalie Zemon Davis is a Canadian and American historian of the early modern period. She is currently a professor of history at the University of Toronto in Canada. Her work originally focused on France, but has since broadened to include other parts of Europe, North America, and the Caribbean...
(1987) - Akira IriyeAkira Iriyeis an historian of American diplomatic history especially United States-East Asian relations, and international issues. He is the only Japanese citizen ever to serve as President of the American Historical Association, and has also served as president for the Society for Historians of American...
(1988) - Louis R. HarlanLouis R. HarlanLouis Rudolph Harlan was an American historian and academic whose two-volume biography of African-American educator and social leader Booker T...
(1989) - David HerlihyDavid HerlihyDavid Herlihy was an American historian who wrote on medieval and renaissance life. Particular topics include domestic life, especially the roles of women, and the changing structure of the family...
(1990) - William E. Leuchtenburg (1991)
- Frederic E. Wakeman Jr (1992)
- Louise A. TillyLouise A. TillyLouise A. Tilly is a historian known for utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to her scholarly work, fusing sociolology with historical research. Born December 13, 1930, in Orange, New Jersey, at a young age Tilly was influenced to study history by a fourth grade teacher...
(1993) - Thomas C. HoltThomas C. HoltThomas Cleveland Holt is James Westfall Thompson Professor of American and African American History at the University of Chicago; he has produced a number of works on the people and descendants of the African Diaspora....
(1994) - John H. CoatsworthJohn H. CoatsworthJohn Henry Coatsworth is the dean of the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, also currently serving as interim provost of Columbia University, and an American scholar of Latin American economic, social and international history, with an emphasis on Mexico, Central...
(1995) - Caroline Walker BynumCaroline BynumCaroline Walker Bynum is an American Medieval scholar. She is a University Professor Emerita at Columbia University, where she still teaches, and a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. She was the first woman to be appointed University Professor at Columbia...
(1996) - Joyce ApplebyJoyce ApplebyJoyce Oldham Appleby is an American historian. She is Professor Emerita of History at University of California, Los Angeles Joyce Oldham Appleby (born April 9, 1929) is an American historian. She is Professor Emerita of History at University of California, Los Angeles Joyce Oldham Appleby (born...
(1997) - Joseph C. Miller (1998)
- Robert DarntonRobert DarntonRobert Darnton is an American cultural historian, recognized as a leading expert on 18th-century France.-Life:He graduated from Harvard University in 1960, attended Oxford University on a Rhodes scholarship, and earned a Ph.D. in history from Oxford in 1964, where he studied with Richard Cobb,...
(1999) - Eric FonerEric FonerEric Foner is an American historian. On the faculty of the Department of History at Columbia University since 1982, he writes extensively on political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, Reconstruction, and historiography...
(2000) - William Roger LouisWilliam Roger LouisWilliam Roger Louis, CBE FBA , also known as Wm. Roger Louis, or Roger Louis, informally, is a distinguished historian at the University of Texas at Austin...
(2001) - Lynn HuntLynn HuntLynn Avery Hunt is the Eugen Weber Professor of Modern European History at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her area of expertise is the French Revolution, but she is also well known for her work in European cultural history on such topics as gender...
(2002) - James M. McPhersonJames M. McPhersonJames M. McPherson is an American Civil War historian, and is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus of United States History at Princeton University. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom, his most famous book...
(2003) - Jonathan SpenceJonathan SpenceJonathan D. Spence is a British-born historian and public intellectual specializing in Chinese history. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 1993 to 2008. His most famous book is The Search for Modern China, which has become one of the standard texts on the last several...
(2004) - James J. SheehanJames J. SheehanJames J. Sheehan is an American historian of modern Germany and the former president of the American Historical Association .Born in San Francisco in 1937, Sheehan earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1958 and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1964...
(2005) - Linda K. KerberLinda K. KerberLinda K. Kerber is an American historian. At the University of Iowa she is the May Brodbeck Professor in Liberal Arts & Sciences, and also Lecturer in the College of Law. She served as the president of the American Studies Association in 1988, the Organization of American Historians in 1996-97, and...
(2006) - Barbara Weinstein (2007)
- Gabrielle M. SpiegelGabrielle M. SpiegelGabrielle Michele Spiegel is an American historian of medieval France, and the current Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of History at The Johns Hopkins University where she served as Chair for the history department for six years and Acting and Interim Dean of Faculty...
(2008) - Laurel Thatcher UlrichLaurel Thatcher UlrichLaurel Thatcher Ulrich , is a historian of early America and the history of women and a university professor at Harvard University...
(2009) - Barbara Metcalf (2010)
See also
- Herbert Baxter Adams prizeHerbert Baxter Adams PrizeThe Herbert Baxter Adams Prize is an annual award of the American Historical Association. It is awarded to new authors of European history. Named in honor of Herbert Baxter Adams, who was from the faculty of Johns Hopkins University and one of the founders of the AHA.Established in 1905, the prize...
, annual award given by the association. - List of historians
Selected bibliography
- Alonso, Harriet Hyman. " Slammin' at the AHA." Rethinking History 2001 5(3): 441-446. ISSN 1364-2529 Fulltext in Ingenta and Ebsco. The theme of the 2001 annual meeting of the AHA, "Practices of Historical Narrative," attracted a variety of panels. The article traces one such panel from its conception to presentation. Taking the theme to heart, the panelists created a "slam" (or reading) of narrative histories written by experienced historians, a graduate student, and an undergraduate student, and then opened the session to readings from the audience.
- American Historical Association Committee on Graduate Education. "We Historians: the Golden Age and Beyond." Perspectives 2003 41(5): 18-22. ISSN 0743-7021 Surveys the state of the history profession in 2003 and points out that numerous career options exist for persons with a Ph.D. in history, although the traditional ideal of a university-level appointment for new Ph.D.s remains the primary goal of doctoral programs.
- Bender, Thomas, Katz, Philip; Palmer, Colin; and American Historical Association Committee on Graduate Education. The Education of Historians for the Twenty-First Century. U. of Illinois Press, 2004. 222 pp.
- Elizabeth Donnan and Leo F. Stock, eds. An Historian's World: Selections from the Correspondence of John Franklin Jameson, (1956), Jameson was AHR editor 1895-1901, 1905–1928
- Higham, John. History: Professional Scholarship in America. (1965, 2nd ed. 1989).
- Meringolo, Denise D. "Capturing the Public Imagination: the Social and Professional Place of Public History." American Studies International 2004 42(2-3): 86-117. ISSN 0883-105X Fulltext in Ebsco.
- Morey Rothberg and Jacqueline Goggin, eds., John Franklin Jameson and the Development of Humanistic Scholarship in America (3 vols., 1993–2001)
- Novick, Peter. That Noble Dream: The "Objectivity Question" and the American Historical Profession. Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 1988. - Orrill, Robert and Shapiro, Linn. "From Bold Beginnings to an Uncertain Future: the Discipline of History and History Education." American Historical Review 2005 110(3): 727-751. ISSN 0002-8762 Fulltext in History Cooperative, University of Chicago Press and Ebsco. In challenging the reluctance of historians to join the national debate over teaching history in the schools, the authors argue that historians should remember the leading role that the profession once played in the making of school history. The AHA invented school history in the early 20th century and remained at the forefront of K-12 policymaking until just prior to World War II. However, it abandoned its long-standing activist stance and allowed school history to be submerged within the ill-defined, antidisciplinary domain of "social studies."
- Sheehan, James J. "The AHA and its Publics - Part I." Perspectives 2005 43(2): 5-7. ISSN 0743-7021
- Stearns, Peter N.; Seixas, Peter; and Wineburg, Sam, ed. Knowing, Teaching, and Learning History. New York U. Press, 2000. 576 pp.
- Tyrrell, Ian. Historians in Public: The Practice of American History, 1890–1970. Chicago: University of Chicago PressUniversity of Chicago PressThe University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
, 2005