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Annette Gordon-Reed

アネット・ゴードン＝リード

Anetto Gōdon-Rīdo

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1958-11-19 （Livingston, Texas, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Conroe, Texas, United States → Upper West Side, New York City, United States

Career

Occupations
historian, law professor, author, university professor
Active Years
1984-
Affiliations
Harvard University, Harvard Law School, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, New York Law School, Rutgers University–Newark, Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (Trustee), National Humanities Center (Trustee)
Memberships
American Philosophical Society, The British Academy (Corresponding Fellow)

Education

Dartmouth College
Degree: BA
Period: 1977–1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: United States
Harvard Law School (Harvard University)
Degree: JD
Period: 1981–1984
Year of Graduation: 1984
Country: United States
First African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for History
2009
Work: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
Category: 歴史
Organization: The Pulitzer Prizes
Result: winner
National Book Award for Nonfiction
2008
Work: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner
MacArthur Fellowship
2010
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: fellowship
National Humanities Medal
2010
Organization: U.S. Government / National Endowment for the Humanities
Result: recipient
George Washington Book Prize
2009
Work: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
Organization: Organization
Result: winner
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
2009
Work: Vernon Can Read! (co-authored) / The Hemingses of Monticello
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf
Result: winner
Frederick Douglass Prize
2009
Work: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
Organization: Organization
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

1997 history / historical analysis

Investigates the historical controversy over Thomas Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings, re-examining documentary and oral evidence and challenging long-standing assumptions.

slaveryhistorical methodrace and power

Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir (with Vernon Jordan)

2001 memoir / nonfiction

A memoir of civil-rights activist Vernon Jordan, written with him, covering his life through the 1980s.

civil rightspersonal historyrace

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family

2008 family history / social history

A detailed history of the Hemings family and their descendants at Monticello, bringing the lives of an enslaved family into clearer view; widely praised and influential.

genealogysocial structures of slaverymemory and oral history

Andrew Johnson: The American Presidents Series

2011 biography / presidential history

Re-examines the presidency and reputation of Andrew Johnson, analyzing his actions during Reconstruction and their consequences for African Americans.

Reconstructionpolitics and racehistorical reputations

Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination

2016 history / biography

A reconsideration of Thomas Jefferson's life and reputation, exploring his cultural and political influence.

identitycultural historyJefferson studies

On Juneteenth

2021 history / essay

A personal and historical reflection on Juneteenth, combining memoir, history, and cultural commentary.

memorycommemorationAfrican American experience

Bibliography

  • Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy (1997; reprint 1998)
  • Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir (2001, with Vernon Jordan)
  • Race on Trial: Law and Justice in American History (2002)
  • The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family (2008)
  • Andrew Johnson: The American Presidents Series (2011)
  • Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination (2016)
  • On Juneteenth (2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
scholarly narrative combining documentary evidence and legal analysisfocus on cross-checking oral traditions with archival sources
Recurring Motifs
race and powerreconstructing history from enslaved families' perspectivesverification of memory and testimony

Legacy

Annette Gordon-Reed transformed scholarship on Thomas Jefferson and the Hemings family, centering the experiences of an enslaved family in historical discourse. A Pulitzer Prize winner and widely honored scholar, she has had major influence at the intersection of history and law.

Academic Societies

  • American Philosophical Society
  • The British Academy (Corresponding Fellow)

Archives

  • Harvard University Library (related collections)
  • New York Public Library (Cullman Center-related holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous appearances and interviews on C-SPAN and other media

Quotes

  • This is a wonderful recognition of Annette's seminal contributions to our understanding of American history, including our most harrowing tragedies and painful contradictions.
    Source: Claudine Gay (Harvard University) statement (Harvard Gazette announcement) (2020)

Trivia

  • One of the first African-American women to win the Pulitzer Prize for History.
  • First African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review.
  • Experienced school desegregation in Jim Crow-era Texas as a child.