Alan Taylor (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Shaw Taylor
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Taylor in 2019
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| Born | June 17, 1955 Portland, Maine, U.S.
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| Education | Colby College (BA) Brandeis University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Years active | 1977- |
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Notable work
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William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 |
| Awards | 1996 Bancroft Prize, 1996 Beveridge Award, 1996 Pulitzer Prize, 2014 Pulitzer Prize |
Alan Shaw Taylor (born June 17, 1955) is a well-known American historian and scholar. He was a history professor at the University of Virginia. Taylor is an expert in the early history of the United States. He has written many books about the colonial period, the American Revolution, and the first years of the American Republic. Taylor has won two Pulitzer Prizes and the Bancroft Prize. He was also a finalist for the National Book Award for non-fiction.
Contents
Learning and Teaching History
Taylor was born in Portland, Maine. His father was Ruel Taylor, Jr., and his mother was author Virginia C. Taylor. He finished college at Colby College in 1977. Later, he earned his PhD from Brandeis University in 1986.
Before teaching at the University of Virginia, Taylor taught at the University of California, Davis and Boston University.
Exploring Early American Stories
Taylor is famous for his work in something called microhistory. This means he looks at small details to understand bigger historical events. His book, William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic (1996), is a great example.
In this book, Taylor used old court records, land documents, letters, and diaries. He used these to tell the story of William Cooper. Cooper was a founder from Burlington, New Jersey. Taylor also explored the money matters, politics, and social history of how Cooperstown, New York, was founded and settled. This happened after the American Revolutionary War.
Taylor is part of a group of historians who like to tell history as a story. They use many different ways to study the past. This includes looking at politics, society, culture, and the environment. Their goal is to understand how people lived in the past.
Borders and Conflicts
Taylor's book, The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution (2006), looked at the areas between Canada and the United States. This was after the American Revolution. He also wrote about how the Iroquois people tried to keep their lands.
His book, The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies (2010), also focused on this border region. It explored the different groups involved in the War of 1812. Some people see the War of 1812 as a continuation of the Revolutionary War.
Taylor is one of only five authors to have won the Pulitzer Prize for History twice.
In a book called Our American Story (2019), Taylor shared his thoughts on American history. He believes there isn't just one single story that connects America's past and present. He said that America still has many divisions, just like it did in 1787. He thinks the best way to deal with differences is to find compromises.
Awards and Recognitions
- 1996 Bancroft Prize for William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic
- 1996 Beveridge Award for William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic
- 1996 Pulitzer Prize for William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic
- 2007 Cox Book Prize for The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution
- 2013 National Book Award for Nonfiction finalist for The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832
- 2014 Pulitzer Prize for The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia: 1772-1832
- 2014 Merle Curti Award for The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia: 1772-1832
- 2014 George Washington Book Prize finalist for The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia: 1772-1832
- 2017 George Washington Book Prize finalist for American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750–1804
- 2021 New-York Historical Society book prizes, Barbara and David Zalaznick Book Prize in American History, for American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850
Books by Alan Taylor
Books as author
- Liberty Men and Great Proprietors: The Revolutionary Settlement on the Maine Frontier 1760-1820, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1990. ISBN: 0807819093
- William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. ISBN: 0394580540
- American Colonies: The Settling of North America, New York: Viking/Penguin, 2001. ISBN: 0670872822
- Writing Early American History, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. ISBN: 0812238834
- The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. ISBN: 0679454713
- The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. ISBN: 1400042658
- Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, USA: 2012. ISBN: 9780199766239
- The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. ISBN: 9780393073713
- American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750–1804, W. W. Norton & Company, 2016. ISBN: 0393082814
- Thomas Jefferson's Education, W. W. Norton & Company, 2019. ISBN: 0393652424
- American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783–1850, W. W. Norton & Company, 2021. ISBN: 9781324005797
- American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850–1873, W. W. Norton & Company, 2024. ISBN: 9781324035282
