Barbara J. Fields
Encyclopedia
Barbara Jeanne Fields is a professor of American history at Columbia University
. Her focus is on the history of the American South, 19th century social history, and the transition to capitalism in the United States.
She received her B.A.
from Harvard University
in 1968, and her Ph.D.
from Yale University
in 1978. At Yale, she was one of the last doctoral students of C. Vann Woodward
, one of the preeminent American historians of the twentieth century. She made a notable appearance in Ken Burns
' documentary series, The Civil War.
Fields was the first African American woman to receive tenure at Columbia University. She has also taught at Northwestern University
, the University of Michigan
, and the University of Mississippi
. She is currently at work on a book tentatively entitled Humane Letters: Writing in English about Human Affairs, as well as a study of slavery and emancipation in the Americas.
In May 2007, Bard College
awarded Fields an honorary doctorate.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Her focus is on the history of the American South, 19th century social history, and the transition to capitalism in the United States.
Life
She was raised in Washington, D.C., where she attended Morgan Elementary School, Banneker Junior High School, and Western High School.She received her B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1968, and her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1978. At Yale, she was one of the last doctoral students of C. Vann Woodward
C. Vann Woodward
Comer 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...
, one of the preeminent American historians of the twentieth century. She made a notable appearance in Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
' documentary series, The Civil War.
Fields was the first African American woman to receive tenure at Columbia University. She has also taught at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, and the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
. She is currently at work on a book tentatively entitled Humane Letters: Writing in English about Human Affairs, as well as a study of slavery and emancipation in the Americas.
In May 2007, Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
awarded Fields an honorary doctorate.
Awards
- 1992 MacArthur Fellows ProgramMacArthur Fellows ProgramThe MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
- John H. Dunning Prize of the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical AssociationThe American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians 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...
, for Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground: Maryland during the Nineteenth Century - Founders Prize of the Confederate Memorial Literary Society, for The Destruction of Slavery
- Thomas Jefferson Prize of the Society for the History of the Federal Government, for The Destruction of Slavery
- 1994 Lincoln PrizeLincoln PrizeThe Lincoln Prize, endowed by Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman and administered by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, has been awarded annually since 1991 for the best non-fiction historical work of the year on the American Civil War. It is named for U.S...
by the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute at Gettysburg College, for Free At Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Emancipation, and the Civil War
Works
- "Slavery, Race and Ideology in the United States of America", New Left Review, Issue 181, May/June 1990
- "Whiteness, Racism and Identity", International Labor & Working-Class History, Issue 60, Fall 2001
- "Origins of the New South and the Negro Question", Journal of Southern History, Vol 67 No 4, November 2001
- "Of Rogues and Geldings", American Historical Review, Vol 180 No 5, December 2003
- Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground: Maryland during the Nineteenth Century (Yale University Press, 1985), ISBN 0300040326
- The Destruction of Slavery (Cambridge University Press, 1985), Editors Ira Berlin, Barbara J. Fields, Thavolia Glymph, Joseph P. Reidy, Leslie S. Rowland, ISBN 9780521132145
- Slaves No More: Three Essays on the Emancipation and the Civil War (Cambridge University Press, 1992) ISBN 9780521431026
- Free At Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Emancipation, and the Civil War (The New Press, 1992) ISBN 9781565840157
External links
- "Presentation given by historian Barbara J. Fields at a "School", RACE, March 2001