Bancroft Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (1961) Winner
Merrill D. Peterson
メリル・ダニエル・ピーターソン
Merrill D. Peterson
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1921-03-31 （Manhattan, Kansas, U.S.）
- Died
- 2009-09-23 （Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.） age 88
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Baptist (family background)
- Residence History
- Manhattan, Kansas, U.S. → Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. (Harvard) → Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. (University of Virginia) → Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S. (Brandeis University) → Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. (Princeton University)
Career
- Occupations
- Historian, Professor
- Active Years
- 1948-2009
- Affiliations
- University of Virginia, Brandeis University, Princeton University
- Influenced By
- Dumas Malone (influential Jefferson biographer), Thomas Jefferson (as subject of study)
- Influenced
- Subsequent American historians and scholars of collective memory
- Nominations
- Pulitzer Prize finalist (Biography), 1995
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State University | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of Kansas | — | History | BA | — | United States |
| Harvard University | — | History of American Civilization | PhD | — | United States |
Kansas State University
Country:
United States
Attended for two years
University of Kansas
History
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Earned B.A.
Harvard University
History of American Civilization
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United States
Earned Ph.D.; dissertation adapted into first book
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Bancroft Prize | The Jefferson Image in the American Mind | — | Columbia University (Bancroft Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1960 | Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Gold Medal | — | — | Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1995 | Pulitzer Prize (finalist) | Lincoln in American Memory | 伝記 | Pulitzer Prize Committee | ファイナリスト |
| 2005 | Library of Virginia Literary Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | Library of Virginia | 受賞 |
| 1997 | National First Freedom Award (First Freedom Council) | — | — | First Freedom Council | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Virginia Foundation for the Humanities 20th Anniversary Award | — | — | Virginia Foundation for the Humanities | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Phi Beta Kappa (University of Virginia) Book Award | — | — | Phi Beta Kappa (University of Virginia) | 受賞 |
Bancroft Prize
1961
Work:
The Jefferson Image in the American Mind
Organization:
Columbia University (Bancroft Prize)
Result:
受賞
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Gold Medal
1960
Organization:
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Pulitzer Prize (finalist)
1995
Work:
Lincoln in American Memory
Category:
伝記
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize Committee
Result:
ファイナリスト
Library of Virginia Literary Lifetime Achievement Award
2005
Organization:
Library of Virginia
Result:
受賞
National First Freedom Award (First Freedom Council)
1997
Organization:
First Freedom Council
Result:
受賞
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities 20th Anniversary Award
1994
Organization:
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
Result:
受賞
Phi Beta Kappa (University of Virginia) Book Award
1994
Organization:
Phi Beta Kappa (University of Virginia)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Jefferson Image in the American Mind
1960 History / Cultural historyA pioneering study of how Thomas Jefferson's image and memory have been constructed and transformed in American society; based on Peterson's dissertation and influential in the field of historical memory.
historical memoryfounders' imagepublic history
Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation
1970 Biography / HistoryA one-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson that Peterson regarded as one of his most important works, outlining Jefferson's life and thought.
biographypolitical thoughtearly American history
Lincoln in American Memory
1994 History / Memory studiesExamines how Abraham Lincoln's memory and image have been used in American culture, employing a similar approach to Peterson's earlier Jefferson work.
memory studiesheroic imagenationalism
John Brown: The Legend Revisited
2002 HistoryA concise study of John Brown that reexamines the legendary and factual aspects of the abolitionist figure.
abolitionismhistorical reinterpretation
"Starving Armenians": America and the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1930 and After
2004 History / Diplomatic historyEdited volume exploring American responses to violence against Armenians during and after World War I, including reports to President Woodrow Wilson and later recognition efforts.
genocide studiesdiplomatic historyhumanitarian issues
Bibliography
- The Jefferson Image in the American Mind (1960)
- Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation (1970)
- The Great Triumvirate: Webster, Clay, and Calhoun (1988)
- Lincoln in American Memory (1994)
- John Brown: The Legend Revisited (2002)
- "Starving Armenians": America and the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1930 and After (2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- scholarly, analytical prosesource-focused narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- transformation of collective memorymythmaking and reassessment of founderspublic memory and its political uses
Legacy
A pioneering historian in Jefferson studies and the history of memory; through long academic service, numerous books and editorial work he significantly influenced public history and scholarship, receiving multiple honors.
Academic Societies
- American Historical Association (associated)
Archives
- University of Virginia Library archives (holds Peterson papers)
Trivia
- His dissertation became the influential study The Jefferson Image in the American Mind.
- Lincoln in American Memory (1994) was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in Biography.
- Visited Armenia as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1997; this experience contributed to his later editing work on American responses to the Armenian Genocide.
- Succeeded Dumas Malone as a leading Jefferson scholar and held the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professorship at the University of Virginia.