Oscar Handlin
Encyclopedia
Oscar Handlin was an American
historian
. As a professor of history at Harvard University
for over 50 years, he directed 80 PhD dissertations and helped promote social
and ethnic
history. Handlin won the Pulitzer Prize for History
in 1952 with The Uprooted.
, the oldest of four children of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Joseph and Ida Handlin, who ran a grocery story in Brooklyn, New York. In 1934, Handlin graduated at Brooklyn College
and received a M.A.
from Harvard University one year later. Between 1936 and 1938, he taught history at Brooklyn College.
In 1940, he received his PhD
from Harvard, where he studied with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
Along with Dr. Schlesinger, he was among the first Jewish scholars appointed to full professorship at Harvard.
His work centered around the topic of immigrants in the U.S., and their influence on culture.
Handlin co-authored several books with his first wife, historian Mary Flug. The couple had three children, Joanna Handlin Smith, who later became an expert in Chinese history and literature; David Handlin, an architect; and Ruth Handlin Manley, a social worker. Mary Flug Handlin died in 1976. Oscar Handlin later married historian Lilian Bombach.
He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
and was a trustee of the New York Public Library
. He was Harvard's head librarian from 1979 to 1984 and acting director of the Harvard University Press
in 1972.
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...
. As a professor of history at 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...
for over 50 years, he directed 80 PhD dissertations and helped promote social
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
and ethnic
Ethnic history
Ethnic history is a branch of social history that studies ethnic groups and immigrants. Barkan argues that the field allows historians to use alternate models of interpretation, unite qualitative and quantitative data, apply sociological models to historical patterns, examine more deeply...
history. Handlin won the 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...
in 1952 with The Uprooted.
Biography
Handlin was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
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 oldest of four children of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Joseph and Ida Handlin, who ran a grocery story in Brooklyn, New York. In 1934, Handlin graduated at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
and received a M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Harvard University one year later. Between 1936 and 1938, he taught history at Brooklyn College.
In 1940, he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Harvard, where he studied with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.
Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Sr. was an American historian. His son, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was also a noted historian.-Life and career:...
Along with Dr. Schlesinger, he was among the first Jewish scholars appointed to full professorship at Harvard.
His work centered around the topic of immigrants in the U.S., and their influence on culture.
Handlin co-authored several books with his first wife, historian Mary Flug. The couple had three children, Joanna Handlin Smith, who later became an expert in Chinese history and literature; David Handlin, an architect; and Ruth Handlin Manley, a social worker. Mary Flug Handlin died in 1976. Oscar Handlin later married historian Lilian Bombach.
He died in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
Administrator
Handlin was very active as a scholarly organizer and administrator. In the Harvard history department he helped create the Center for the Study of the History of Liberty in America and directed it 1958-67; he also chaired the Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History from 1965-73. From 1962-66, he was a top official of the United States Board of Foreign Scholarships, which gives out Fulbright scholarships). He served on the board of overseers of Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
and was a trustee of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. He was Harvard's head librarian from 1979 to 1984 and acting director of the Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
in 1972.
Immigration
Among Handlin's many important contributions was his pioneering work on immigration to America. In his Pulitzer Prize winning The Uprooted (1951), he opens with the declaration: "Once I thought to write a history of the immigrants in America. Then I discovered that the immigrants were American history."American slavery
Oscar Handlin argued that racism was a by-product of slavery, and that the main focus was on the fact that slaves, like indentured servants, were regarded as inferior because of their status, not necessarily because of their race.About Handlin
- Bushman, Richard L. et al., eds. Uprooted Americans: Essays to Honor Oscar Handlin (1980)
- Rothman, David J. "The Uprooted: Thirty Years Later," Reviews in American History 10 (September 1982): 311-19 in JSTOR
- Ueda, Reed. "Immigration and the moral criticism of American history: The vision of Oscar Handlin," Canadian Review of American Studies, 1990, Vol. 21 Issue 2, pp 183–202
- Vecoli, Rudolph J. "Contadini in Chicago: A Critique of The Uprooted," Journal of American History 5 (December 1964): 404-17, critique of Handlin in JSTOR