McCormick of Rutgers - Scholar, Teacher, Public Historian

Richard P. McCormick made his mark as an innovative student of American party politics, as well as the most influential interpreter of New Jersey history. A distinguished teacher, scholar, and public historian, McCormick revitalized a venerable but dormant state historical society. Later, he used notable anniversaries, such as the Bicentennial of the American Revolution and the Tercentenary of New Jersey's founding, as vehicles to bring history to schools and the general public. He also helped create a state historical agency, the New Jersey Historical Commission, to promote New Jersey's past and preserve its historic treasures.

Birkner describes McCormick's life and times. He looks at McCormick's scholarly apprenticeship, the origins of his interest in a new political history, and his contributions to the study of American politics before the Civil War. McCormick's concern for elucidating political machinery was fused with a fundamental skepticism about American democracy as run by and for the people. Through use of oral history, McCormick tells his own story. Then, through their exchanges, Birkner challenges some of McCormick's scholarly arguments and elicits responses that help to shed light on his subject's theory of politics.

List of contents

Preface
Introduction
The Path to a Life With History
Revitalizing the Study of New Jersey
Life at Rutgers: Doing Public History in the 1950s and 1960s
Championing a New Political History
The Turbulent 60s at Rutgers
Doing History: Reflections
Selected Bibliography
Bibliography
Index

About the author

MICHAEL J. BIRKNER is Professor and Chair of the History Department at Gettysburg College./e

Product details

• Authors: Michael J. Birkner, Birkner Michael J.
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.02.2001
• EAN: 9780313303562
• ISBN: 978-0-313-30356-2
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > General, dictionaries; USA, Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Political, Biography: historical, political & military, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, Politics & government, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, United States of America, USA, Politics and government, History of the Americas, Biography: historical, political and military, Current Events and Issues: Education