Andrew C. McLaughlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew C. McLaughlin
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| Born | February 14, 1861 Beardstown, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | September 24, 1947 (aged 86) |
| Education | University of Michigan (BA, LLB) |
| Known for | American constitutional history |
| Spouse(s) | Lois Angell |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | History |
| Institutions | University of Michigan, University of Chicago |
Andrew Cunningham McLaughlin (born February 14, 1861 – died September 24, 1947) was an important American historian. He was famous for being an expert on the history of the U.S. Constitution.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Andrew McLaughlin was born in Beardstown, Illinois. His parents, David McLaughlin and Isabella Campbell, were from Scotland. They met while traveling to the United States.
His family settled in Beardstown, Illinois. Later, his father became a merchant and leader in Muskegon, Michigan. Andrew went to the University of Michigan. He earned both his bachelor's degree and his law degree there.
A Career in History
After finishing college, McLaughlin first taught Latin at the University of Michigan. He then moved to the history department. There, he taught American history for many years.
In 1906, he was invited to teach at the University of Chicago. He taught there until 1929. By 1903, he was already a respected historian. He became the first director of historical research at the new Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C. He held this important job for two years.
In 1914, he became the president of the American Historical Association. This is a big honor for historians. He believed historians should help guide the world during important times. In 1918, he traveled to the United Kingdom. He gave talks to support their efforts during World War I. He explained why the United States joined the war. His book, America and Britain (1919), was a collection of these talks.
Important Books and Awards
Andrew McLaughlin wrote many important books about American history. His first major book was Confederation and Constitution, 1783–1789 (1907). This book was part of a series about the American nation.
Other key books he wrote include:
- The Courts, the Constitution, and Parties: Studies in Constitutional History and Politics (1912)
- The Foundations of American Constitutionalism (1932)
His most famous work was A Constitutional History of the United States (1935). This book won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1936. He wrote it for everyday readers, not just lawyers. The book explains how the U.S. Constitution developed over almost 200 years. It shows how political and social changes influenced the Constitution. He believed that big historical events, like the end of the Civil War, were as important as court decisions in shaping the Constitution.
McLaughlin kept his personal papers at the University of Michigan. He also mentored many students. One of his notable students at the University of Chicago was the historian Henry Steele Commager.
Family Life
In 1890, Andrew McLaughlin married Lois Thompson Angell. Her father, James Burrill Angell, was the president of the University of Michigan for a long time.
Andrew also had a brother, James Campbell McLaughlin. James was a U.S. Representative from Michigan.
McLaughlin's Children
Andrew and Lois had several children:
- Constance McLaughlin Green was also a famous historian. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her books about the history of Washington, D.C..
- James Angell MacLachlan became a professor at Harvard Law School. He also helped start the National Bankruptcy Conference.
- Isabella Campbell McLaughlin married a journalist and author named Rockwell Stephens.
- Rowland Hazard McLaughlin was a Captain in the U.S. Army. He sadly died in France in 1918.
- David Blair McLaughlin died in an accident in 1914. A writing award for college students, the David Blair McLaughlin Prize, was created in his memory.
- Esther Lois McLaughlin (1900–1969).
List of Works
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., History of Higher Education in Michigan (1891)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., Lewis Cass (1891)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., Elements of Civil Government of the State of Michigan (1892)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., The Western Posts and the British Debts (1895)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., James Wilson in the Philadelphia Convention (1897)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., A History of the American Nation (1899)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., The Teaching of American History: with Selected References Designed to Accompany A History of the American Nation (1899)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., Sketch of Charles Pinckney's Plan for a Constitution, 1787 (1904)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., Confederation and Constitution, 1783–1789 (1905)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C. and Claude H. Van Tyne, A History of the United States for Schools (1911)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., The Courts, the Constitution, and Parties: Studies in Constitutional History and Politics (1912)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C. and Albert Bushnell Hart (eds.), Cyclopedia of American Government (3 vols.) (1914)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., The Great War: From Spectator to Participant (1917)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., America and Britain (1919)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., Steps in the Development of American Democracy (1920)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., The Foundations of American Constitutionalism (1932)
- McLaughlin, Andrew C., A Constitutional History of the United States (1935) ISBN: 978-1-931313-31-5
