Kenneth T. Jackson
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Terry Jackson is a professor
of history
and social sciences
at Columbia University
. A frequent television
guest, he is best known as an urban historian
and a preeminent authority on New York City
, where he lives on the Upper West Side
.
, earning his B.A.
in 1961 at the University of Memphis
and his Ph.D.
in 1966 at the University of Chicago
. He served as an assistant professor for the Air Force Institute of Technology
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
from 1965 to 1968 and then joined the Columbia faculty as an assistant professor in 1968, earning his tenure
by 1970.
Jackson's achievements as an author include The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930 (1967), Cities in American History (1972), Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States
(1985), and The Encyclopedia of New York City
(1995), for which he served as the primary editor. Crabgrass Frontier, a comprehensive study of the factors influencing suburban growth in the United States
is the preeminent source on the history of American suburbanization. The Encyclopedia of New York City is a massive collection of entries and articles that encompass much of modern day New York and the city's history.
Jackson has earned numerous distinctions as a professor at Columbia University
where he is the director of the Herbert H. Lehman
Center for American History and the Jacques Barzun
Professor of History and Social Sciences. Jackson teaches a lecture class at the university on "The History of the City of New York." The course includes numerous field trips, including walking tours, bus trips and an annual all-night bike ride led by Jackson from Morningside Heights in Manhattan
to the Promenade in Brooklyn
. The all-night bike ride is in its 35th consecutive year, as of 2009.
Jackson has also served as president of the Urban History Association, the Society of American Historians, the Organization of American Historians
, and the New-York Historical Society
.
Jackson was a prominent on camera presence in the 1999 film, New York: A Documentary Film
, directed by Ric Burns
for PBS
.
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...
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 social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
at Columbia University
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...
. A frequent television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
guest, he is best known as an urban historian
Urban History
Urban history is a field of history that examines the historical nature of cities and towns, and the process of urbanization. The approach tends to be multidisciplinary, crossing boundaries into fields like social history, architectural history, urban sociology, urban geography and archaeology.At...
and a preeminent authority on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he lives on the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
.
Biographical details
Jackson was born in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, earning his 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...
in 1961 at the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
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 1966 at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He served as an assistant professor for the Air Force Institute of Technology
Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been...
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
from 1965 to 1968 and then joined the Columbia faculty as an assistant professor in 1968, earning his tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
by 1970.
Jackson's achievements as an author include The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930 (1967), Cities in American History (1972), Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States
Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States
Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States is a book written by Kenneth T. Jackson. Published in 1985, it analyzes the development of American suburbs from their origins in the early 19th century. Jackson examines how a high quality of life in America came to be equated with home...
(1985), and The Encyclopedia of New York City
The Encyclopedia of New York City
The Encyclopedia of New York City is a comprehensive reference book on New York City. Historian and Columbia University professor Kenneth T...
(1995), for which he served as the primary editor. Crabgrass Frontier, a comprehensive study of the factors influencing suburban growth in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is the preeminent source on the history of American suburbanization. The Encyclopedia of New York City is a massive collection of entries and articles that encompass much of modern day New York and the city's history.
Jackson has earned numerous distinctions as a professor at Columbia University
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...
where he is the director of the Herbert H. Lehman
Herbert H. Lehman
Herbert Henry Lehman was a Democratic Party politician from New York. He was the 45th Governor of New York from 1933 to 1942, and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1950 to 1957.-Lehman Brothers:...
Center for American History and the Jacques Barzun
Jacques Barzun
Jacques Martin Barzun is a French-born American historian of ideas and culture. He has written on a wide range of topics, but is perhaps best known as a philosopher of education, his Teacher in America being a strong influence on post-WWII training of schoolteachers in the United...
Professor of History and Social Sciences. Jackson teaches a lecture class at the university on "The History of the City of New York." The course includes numerous field trips, including walking tours, bus trips and an annual all-night bike ride led by Jackson from Morningside Heights in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to the Promenade in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The all-night bike ride is in its 35th consecutive year, as of 2009.
Jackson has also served as president of the Urban History Association, the Society of American Historians, 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...
, and the New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
.
Jackson was a prominent on camera presence in the 1999 film, New York: A Documentary Film
New York: A Documentary Film
New York: A Documentary Film is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS. The film was a co-production of Thirteen New York and WGBH Boston....
, directed by Ric Burns
Ric Burns
Ric Burns is an American documentary filmmaker and writer. He has written, directed and produced historical documentaries for nearly 20 years, beginning with his collaboration on the celebrated PBS series The Civil War , which he produced with his older brother Ken Burns and wrote with Geoffrey C...
for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
.
Selected works
- The Ku Klux Klan in the City, 1915-1930 (1967)
- Cities in American History (1972)
- Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (1985)
- Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery (1990), with Camilo Vergara
- The Encyclopedia of New York City (1995), (ed.)
- Empire City (2002), (ed.), with David Dunbar (ed.)
- Robert Moses and the Modern City: The Transformation of New York (2007), (ed.), with Hilary Ballon (ed.)
See also
- Jane JacobsJane JacobsJane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
- Mike WallaceMike Wallace (historian)Mike Wallace is an American historian, Distinguished Professor of History at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York, where he has taught since 1971, and the director of the Gotham Center for New York City History....
- Craig Steven WilderCraig Steven WilderCraig Steven Wilder is a professor of American history at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University focusing on urban history, under the tutelage of Kenneth T. Jackson, as well as Barbara J. Fields,...