American History

Penelope J. Corfield studies urban, social and cultural history, plus approaches to Time and History. She is Emeritus Professor at Royal Holloway, London University; Visiting Professor at Newcastle University; and has held visiting posts in Australia, Hungary, Japan, Sweden and the USA.…

<p>"Americans are united by their history and by a faith in progress, justice, and freedom," writes President Kennedy</p>

<p><span class="deck"> <span class="typestyle"> A distinguished historian describes how America, suddenly thrust into nationhood without a history of its own, set out to create one. And what a splendid achievement it was!</span> </span></p>

<p><span class="deck"> By no means, said W. H. Prescott. Absolutely, said Lord Acton. The question remains hard—and intriguing</span> </p>

<p><span class="deck">NO, SAY THREE AMERICAN HISTORIANS. BUT THE PATIENT IS AILING AND THEY THINK THEY KNOW WHY AND WHAT TO PRESCRIBE.</span></p>

<p><span class="deck">A distinguished journalist and former presidential adviser says that, to find the meaning of any news story, we must dig for its roots in the past.</span></p>

<p>A newsman returns to a classic work by a famous predecessor and finds that Mark Sullivan’s vanished America has something to tell us.</p>

<p>In 1962, the president wrote for <em>American Heritage</em> that the study of history is no mere pastime, but the means by which a nation establishes its sense of identity and purpose.</p>