Carl L. Becker
Encyclopedia
Carl Lotus Becker was an American
historian.
. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. Frederick Jackson Turner
was his doctoral advisor there. Becker got his Ph.D.
in 1907. He was John Wendell Anderson Professor of History in the Department of History
at Cornell University
from 1917 to 1941. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1923.
Cornell has recognized his work as an educator by naming one of its five new residential college
s the Carl Becker House
.
delivered at Yale University
. His assertion—that philosophies
in the "Age of Reason
" relied far more upon Christian
assumptions than they cared to admit—has been influential, but has also been much attacked. Interest in the book is partly explained by this passage (p. 47):
This isolation of vocabularies of the epoch chimes with much later work, even if the rest of the book is essayistic in approach. Johnson Kent Wright writes
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian.
Life
He was born in Waterloo, IowaWaterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. He studied at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick 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...
was his doctoral advisor there. Becker got his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1907. He was John Wendell Anderson Professor of History in the Department of History
Cornell University Department of History
|- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | College | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Arts and Sciences |- valign="top" ! style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Department Chair | style="border-top: solid 1px #aaaaaa;" | Barry Strauss...
at 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...
from 1917 to 1941. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1923.
Cornell has recognized his work as an educator by naming one of its five new residential college
Residential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
s the Carl Becker House
Cornell West Campus
West Campus is a residential section of Cornell University's Ithaca, New York campus located west of Libe Slope and between the Fall Creek gorge and the Cascadilla gorge. It now primarily houses transfer students, second year, and upperclassmen. West Campus is currently part of a residential...
.
Works
He is best known for The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers (1932), four lectures on The EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
delivered at 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...
. His assertion—that philosophies
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in the "Age of Reason
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
" relied far more upon Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
assumptions than they cared to admit—has been influential, but has also been much attacked. Interest in the book is partly explained by this passage (p. 47):
This isolation of vocabularies of the epoch chimes with much later work, even if the rest of the book is essayistic in approach. Johnson Kent Wright writes
Works
- Political Parties in the Province of New York from 1766-75 (1908)
- The Beginnings of the American People (1915)
- The Eve of the Revolution (1918)
- The Declaration of Independence—A Study in the History of Political Ideas (1922, 1942)
- Our Great Experiment in Democracy (1924)
- The Spirit of '76 (with G.M. Clark and W.E. Dodd) (1926)
- Modern History (1931)
- The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers (1932)
- Every Man His Own Historian (1935)
- Progress and Power (1936)
- Story of Civilization (with Frederic Duncalf) (1938)
- Modern Democracy (1941)
- New Liberties for Old (1941)
- Cornell University: Founders and the Founding (1943)
- How New Will the Better World Be?—A Discussion of Post-War Reconstruction (1944)
- Freedom and Responsibility in the American Way of Life (1945)
- Freedom of Speech and Press
Quotes
- "History is the memory of things said and done."
- "The significance of man is that he is insignificant and is aware of it."
- "Freedom and responsibility." This saying, from a 1943 lecture, has been frequently misquoted. When Cornell memorialized Becker by naming a residential college in his honor, the university commissioned a large stone placard to be affixed to the building's entryway reading "FREEDOM WITH RESPONSIBILITY".
External links
- Historiographical Blurb and JSTOR listing http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/rhatch/pages/02-TeachingResources/historiography/carl-becker.htm