Alan Taylor (historian) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Shaw Taylor
|
|
|---|---|
Taylor in 2019
|
|
| Born | June 17, 1955 Portland, Maine, U.S.
|
| Education | Colby College (BA) Brandeis University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Years active | 1977- |
|
Notable work
|
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 an American historian. 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 history of the United States, the American Revolution, and the early 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. In 2020, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
Contents
Education and Early Life
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 degree from Brandeis University in 1986.
Career as a Historian
Before teaching at the University of Virginia, Taylor taught at the University of California, Davis and Boston University.
Understanding History Through Small Stories
Taylor is well-known for his work in something called microhistory. This means he looks closely at small details and specific events to understand bigger historical pictures. An example of this is his book William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic (1996).
In this book, Taylor used old court records, land documents, letters, and diaries. He used these to learn about William Cooper. Cooper was a founder of Cooperstown, New York. Taylor showed how the town was settled after the American Revolutionary War. He explored the money, politics, and social life of the time.
Bringing History to Life
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, social life, culture, and the environment. Their goal is to understand what it was like for people living in the past.
Exploring 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. It explored what happened there after the American Revolution. It also showed 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 explained the different groups involved in the War of 1812. Some people see the War of 1812 as a continuation of the Revolutionary War.
Multiple Pulitzer Prizes
Alan Taylor is one of only five authors to have won the Pulitzer Prize for History twice. This is a very special achievement.
Different American Stories
In 2019, Taylor wrote for a book called Our American Story. He shared his thoughts on whether there is one shared American story. He believes that America has many different stories. He said that the nation is even bigger and more diverse now than it was in 1787. He thinks the best way to deal with differences is to find compromises.
Awards and Recognition
- 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 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 Written by Alan Taylor
- Liberty Men and Great Proprietors: The Revolutionary Settlement on the Maine Frontier 1760-1820, 1990.
- William Cooper's Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, 1995.
- American Colonies: The Settling of North America, 2001.
- Writing Early American History, 2005.
- The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution, 2006.
- The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies, 2010.
- Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction, 2012.
- The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832, 2013.
- American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750–1804, 2016.
- Thomas Jefferson's Education, 2019.
- American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783–1850, 2021.
- American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850–1873, 2024.
