Jack N. Rakove
Encyclopedia
Jack Norman Rakove is an American
historian
, author
, professor
at Stanford University
, and Pulitzer Prize
winner.
to Political Science
Professor Milton L. Rakove (1918-1983) and his wife, Shirley. The elder Rakove taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago
(1957-1983) and Barat College
(Lake Forest, Illinois). Jack Rakove earned his A.B.
in 1968 from Haverford College
and his Ph.D.
in 1975 from Harvard University
. At Harvard, he was a student of Bernard Bailyn
.
Rakove is the W.R. Coe Professor of History
and American Studies
and professor of political science
at Stanford University
, where he has taught since 1980. He also taught at Colgate University
from 1975 to 1980. He has been a visiting professor at the NYU School of Law
.
Rakove won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for History
for Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution
(1996) which questioned whether originalism
is a comprehensive and exhaustive means of interpreting the Constitution. He is also the author of The Beginnings of National Politics: An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress (Alfred Knopf, 1979), James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic (revised edition, Addison, Wesley, Longman, 2001), and Declaring Rights: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Books, 1997). His latest book, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), was published in May 2010, and was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize
..
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
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...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner.
Biography
Rakove was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
Professor Milton L. Rakove (1918-1983) and his wife, Shirley. The elder Rakove taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
(1957-1983) and Barat College
Barat College
Barat College of the Sacred Heart was a small Catholic college located in Lake Forest, Illinois, 30 miles north of Chicago. The college was named after Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart...
(Lake Forest, Illinois). Jack Rakove earned his A.B.
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...
in 1968 from Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
and 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 1975 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...
. At Harvard, he was a student of Bernard Bailyn
Bernard Bailyn
Bernard 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...
.
Rakove is the W.R. Coe Professor 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...
and American Studies
American studies
American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field dealing with the study of the United States. It traditionally incorporates the study of history, literature, and critical theory, but also includes fields as diverse as law, art, the media, film, religious studies, urban...
and professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he has taught since 1980. He also taught at Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
from 1975 to 1980. He has been a visiting professor at the NYU School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
.
Rakove won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for History
Pulitzer Prize for History
The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography...
for Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution
Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution
Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution is a non-fiction book authored by Jack N. Rakove and published on March 25, 1996 in hardcover by Knopf and on May 26, 1997 by Vintage Books in paperback. Rakove investigates the meaning of the United States Constitution in...
(1996) which questioned whether originalism
Originalism
In the context of United States constitutional interpretation, originalism is a principle of interpretation that tries to discover the original meaning or intent of the constitution. It is based on the principle that the judiciary is not supposed to create, amend or repeal laws but only to uphold...
is a comprehensive and exhaustive means of interpreting the Constitution. He is also the author of The Beginnings of National Politics: An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress (Alfred Knopf, 1979), James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic (revised edition, Addison, Wesley, Longman, 2001), and Declaring Rights: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford Books, 1997). His latest book, Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), was published in May 2010, and was a finalist for the George Washington Book Prize
George Washington Book Prize
The George Washington Book Prize was instituted in 2005 and is awarded annually to the best book on America's founding era, especially those that have the potential to advance broad public understanding of American history. It is administered by Washington College’s C.V...
..
External links
- "Jack Rakove: Faculty Webpage", Stanford University
- Alan Pell Crawford, "A Revolution from Below", The Wall Street Journal, 21 May 2010
- "Faculty Focus: Jack Rakove,", NYU School of Law, Autumn 2003
- The Milton L. Rakove Papers, 1943-1984, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Video of discussion/debate with Rakove and Eugene VolokhEugene VolokhEugene Volokh is an American legal commentator and the Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...