Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Martha S. Jones
マーサ・エス・ジョーンズ
Martha S. Jones
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- New York, New York, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
Career
- Occupations
- historian, legal scholar, professor, author
- Active Years
- 1987-
- Affiliations
- Eugene Lang College (The New School), University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan Law School
- Memberships
- American Antiquarian Society, Organization of American Historians, Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
- Influenced By
- Eric Foner (doctoral advisor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter College | — | — | BA | 1980–1984 | United States |
| CUNY School of Law | — | — | JD | 1984–1987 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | History | MA | 1995–1997 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | History | MPhil | 1997–1998 | United States |
| Columbia University | — | History | PhD | 1998–2001 | United States |
Hunter College
Degree:
BA
Period:
1980–1984
Year of Graduation:
1984
Country:
United States
CUNY School of Law
Degree:
JD
Period:
1984–1987
Year of Graduation:
1987
Country:
United States
Columbia University
History
Degree:
MA
Period:
1995–1997
Year of Graduation:
1997
Country:
United States
Columbia University
History
Degree:
MPhil
Period:
1997–1998
Year of Graduation:
1998
Country:
United States
Columbia University
History
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1998–2001
Year of Graduation:
2001
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | National Humanities Center William C. and Ida Friday Fellow | — | — | National Humanities Center | 受賞 |
| 2019 | John Phillip Reid Book Award | Birthright Citizens | — | American Society for Legal History | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Littleton-Griswold Prize | Birthright Citizens | — | American Historical Association | 受賞 |
| 2019 | Liberty Legacy Foundation Award | Birthright Citizens | — | Organization of American Historians | 受賞 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Times History Book Prize | Vanguard | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
National Humanities Center William C. and Ida Friday Fellow
2013
Organization:
National Humanities Center
Result:
受賞
John Phillip Reid Book Award
2019
Work:
Birthright Citizens
Organization:
American Society for Legal History
Result:
受賞
Littleton-Griswold Prize
2019
Work:
Birthright Citizens
Organization:
American Historical Association
Result:
受賞
Liberty Legacy Foundation Award
2019
Work:
Birthright Citizens
Organization:
Organization of American Historians
Result:
受賞
Los Angeles Times History Book Prize
2020
Work:
Vanguard
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830–1900
2007 History (African American history)Examines the 'woman question' in African American public culture from 1830 to 1900, showing how Black women asserted the right to speak in mixed-gender forums and tracing subsequent backlash and generational trajectories.
Black women's historypublic culturegender and rights
Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America
2018 History (legal history; citizenship)Traces how free Black people, mainly in Baltimore, used legal and extralegal claims to inhabit citizenship in the antebellum United States, arguing that birthright citizenship developed through everyday practices as much as constitutional change.
birthright citizenshiprace and rightslocal legal history
Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote and Insisted on Equality for All
2020 History (women's history; civil rights history)Documents how Black women broke barriers, won the vote, and insisted on equality for all — a work that brought scholarly research to a broader public audience.
Black women's activismvoting rightsequality
The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir
2025 Memoir / HistoryA family memoir that examines race and status through the author's family history, published in 2025.
family historyracememory
Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women (editor)
2015 Edited volume (academic)Edited volume assembling scholarship toward an intellectual history of Black women.
intellectual historyBlack women studies
Bibliography
- All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830–1900 (2007)
- Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women (editor) (2015)
- Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America (2018)
- Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All (2020)
- The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir (2025)
Adaptations
- Curated exhibitions 'Reframing the Color Line' and 'Proclaiming Emancipation' in conjunction with the William L. Clements Library
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly yet accessible explanatory proseinterdisciplinary analysis across legal and cultural history
- Recurring Motifs
- citizenship and lawBlack women's public agencymemory and family history
Legacy
Martha S. Jones has substantially advanced understanding of Black citizenship and the role of Black women in American legal and cultural history. Her work has influenced both academia and general audiences, earning major prizes and contributing to public history through curated exhibitions.
Museums
- William L. Clements Library (collaborative exhibitions) Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan)
Academic Societies
- American Antiquarian Society
- Organization of American Historians
- Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
Archives
- William L. Clements Library (related materials/exhibitions)
Trivia
- Her paternal grandfather, David Dallas Jones, served as president of Bennett College.
- Jones writes both scholarly works and books for general audiences, including a memoir.
- She has co-curated exhibitions such as 'Reframing the Color Line' and 'Proclaiming Emancipation'.