Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
ローレル・サッチャー・ウルリック
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1938-07-11 （Sugar City, Idaho, U.S.）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Career
- Occupations
- historian, professor, author
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- University of New Hampshire (faculty), Harvard University (Charles Warren Center director, University Professor), American Philosophical Society, American Historical Association, Mormon History Association
- Memberships
- American Philosophical Society (member), American Historical Association (member; past President), Mormon History Association (past President)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Utah | — | English and Journalism | BA | — | United States |
| Simmons University | — | English | MA | — | United States |
| University of New Hampshire | — | History | PhD | — | United States |
University of Utah
English and Journalism
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
1960
Country:
United States
Gave the valedictory address at commencement
Simmons University
English
Degree:
MA
Year of Graduation:
1971
Country:
United States
University of New Hampshire
History
Degree:
PhD
Year of Graduation:
1980
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Pulitzer Prize (History) | A Midwife's Tale | — | Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1991 | Bancroft Prize | A Midwife's Tale | — | Columbia University Libraries | 受賞 |
| 1992 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1991 | John H. Dunning Prize | A Midwife's Tale | — | American Historical Association | 受賞 |
| 1991 | William Henry Welch Medal | A Midwife's Tale | — | American Association for the History of Medicine | 受賞 |
Pulitzer Prize (History)
1991
Work:
A Midwife's Tale
Organization:
Columbia University (Pulitzer Prize)
Result:
受賞
Bancroft Prize
1991
Work:
A Midwife's Tale
Organization:
Columbia University Libraries
Result:
受賞
MacArthur Fellowship
1992
Organization:
MacArthur Foundation
Result:
受賞
John H. Dunning Prize
1991
Work:
A Midwife's Tale
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
受賞
William Henry Welch Medal
1991
Work:
A Midwife's Tale
Organization:
American Association for the History of Medicine
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Pulitzer Prize for History
1 appearances
-
Edition 74 (1991) Winner
Works
Major Works
A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard based on her diary, 1785–1812
1990 history; social history; women's history 336 pagesUsing the diary of New England midwife Martha Ballard, the book reconstructs ordinary life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries—midwifery and medical practice, household economy, marriage and sexual relations, and community networks—demonstrating how quotidian records can reveal broader social history.
women's historylabor historymedical historyuse of diary sourceshistory of ordinary people
Adaptations
- [Television documentary (PBS)] A Midwife's Tale / Richard P. Rogers (1994)
Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History
2007 essays / historyDiscusses how women's often-overlooked work and lives have shaped history. Using the famous phrase as a starting point, the book reexamines women's roles and the recording of history.
women's historyfeminismrethinking historical narratives
The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth
2001 cultural history; material cultureTreats objects (notably textiles) as historical sources and examines how objects and narratives helped create American myth and memory.
material cultureformation of memorywomen's handiwork
Bibliography
- A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard based on her diary, 1785–1812 (1990)
- Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History (2007)
- The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth (2001)
- A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835–1870 (2017)
- Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650–1750 (1982)
- Editor, Yards and Gates: Gender in Harvard and Radcliffe History (2004)
- All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir (1995) — coedited with Emma Lou Thayne
Adaptations
- PBS American Experience docudrama adaptation of A Midwife's Tale
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- archival-source-driven narrativemicrohistory approachanalytical and expository prose
- Recurring Motifs
- everyday recordswomen's work and its economic valuematerial culture (textiles, crafts)
Legacy
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich significantly influenced modern historiography through her method of close reading of quotidian sources and contributions to women's history. A Midwife's Tale became a landmark that revalued women's labor and ordinary life, affecting both scholarship and popular culture.
Academic Societies
- American Historical Association
- American Philosophical Society
- Mormon History Association
- Society for Historians of the Early Republic
Archives
- Harvard University Library (related holdings)
- University of New Hampshire Archives
In Popular Culture
- The phrase 'Well‑Behaved Women Seldom Make History' entered popular culture as a slogan on T‑shirts, mugs, cards, and more
Quotes
-
Well‑behaved women seldom make history.
Source: Academic article (1976) and later lectures/books (1976) -
I don’t think anonymous people need to be included in the historical record just because of fairness or justice. Studying them more carefully makes for more accurate history.
Source: Interview (2009) (2009)
Trivia
- The phrase 'Well‑Behaved Women…' went viral in contexts different from Ulrich's original scholarly intent and became a pop‑culture slogan.
- A Midwife's Tale was adapted into a PBS documentary; Ulrich served as consultant, script collaborator, and narrator.
- In 1992 she received a MacArthur Fellowship (the so‑called 'Genius Grant').