World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

James M. McPherson

ジェームズ・マンロー・マクファーソン

James Munro McPherson

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1936-10-11 （Valley City, North Dakota, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Historian, Author, University Professor
Active Years
1962-
Affiliations
Princeton University (George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus)
Influenced By
C. Vann Woodward

Education

Gustavus Adolphus College
History
Degree: BA
Period: 1954–1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: United States
Graduated magna cum laude
Johns Hopkins University
History
Degree: PhD
Period: 1958–1963
Year of Graduation: 1963
Country: United States
Studied under C. Vann Woodward

Awards

Pulitzer Prize (History)
1989
Work: Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Award
1965
Work: The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Lincoln Prize
1998
Work: For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War
Organization: Lincoln Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Pritzker Military Library Literature Award (Lifetime Achievement)
2007
Category: 生涯業績
Organization: Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Result: 受賞（第1回受賞者）
Samuel Eliot Morison Prize
2007
Category: 生涯業績
Organization: Society for Military History
Result: 受賞
Jefferson Lecturer (Humanities)
2000
Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Result: 選出
Lincoln Prize (co-winner)
2009
Work: Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
Organization: Lincoln Prize Committee
Result: 共同受賞
Elected Member, American Philosophical Society
1991
Organization: American Philosophical Society
Result: 選出
Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2009
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

1988 History

A comprehensive narrative of the American Civil War era covering political, military, and social dimensions, including Lincoln's leadership, slavery, and the war's consequences.

American Civil WarSlaveryNation and democracy

For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War

1997 History; Social history

An analysis of soldiers' motives and experiences during the Civil War based on diaries, letters, and other primary sources.

Soldiers' motivationsLoyaltySocial history

The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction

1964 History

A study of the abolitionist movement and the role and actions of African Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

AbolitionReconstructionCivil rights

Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

2008 History; Biography

Examines Abraham Lincoln's role as President and Commander in Chief from a military perspective, assessing his leadership and decisions.

LeadershipMilitary and politicsWar command

Bibliography

  • The Struggle for Equality: Abolitionists and the Negro in the Civil War and Reconstruction
  • Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
  • Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution
  • For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War
  • Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War
  • Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief

Adaptations

  • Film/TV appearances: Civil War Journal (1994), The Conspirator (related documentary/interview, 2011), The Gettysburg Address (2015)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly, expository style emphasizing extensive use of primary sources
Recurring Motifs
Interaction of war and slaveryLeaders' responsibility and decision-makingCivil rights and Reconstruction challenges

Legacy

A leading scholar who shaped modern Civil War studies and influenced public understanding and battlefield preservation efforts; highly regarded for both scholarly research and accessible general histories.

Academic Societies

  • American Philosophical Society
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • Princeton University — Department of History related materials
  • Lectures and archives (Pritzker Military Museum & Library, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • Contributed to public history education through appearances in documentaries and television programs

Quotes

  • One job of the historian is to try to cut through some of those myths and get closer to some kind of reality. So that people can face their current situation realistically, rather than mythically.
    Source: An exchange with a Civil War historian (interview) (1995)

Trivia

  • Participated in preservation activism opposing the Disney's America theme park proposal.
  • Longtime professor at Princeton University, serving as George Henry Davis '86 Professor Emeritus.
  • Married with one child.