Barbara J. Fields facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara J. Fields
Fields in 2013
Born	Barbara Jeanne Fields 1947 (age 77–78)
Alma mater	Harvard University (BA) Yale University (PhD)
Awards	John H. Dunning Prize (1986) Lincoln Prize (1994)
Scientific career
Institutions	Columbia University Northwestern University University of Michigan University of Mississippi

Barbara Jeanne Fields (born in 1947) is a well-known American historian. She is a professor of American history at Columbia University. Her main focus is on the history of the American South. She also studies how society changed in the 1800s and how the United States developed its economic system.

About Barbara Fields

Barbara Fields was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1947. She grew up in Washington, D.C. She went to Morgan Elementary School, Banneker Junior High School, and Western High School.

She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), from Harvard University in 1968. Later, she received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1978. At Yale, she studied with C. Vann Woodward, who was a very important American historian.

You might have seen Barbara Fields in some famous documentaries. She appeared in Ken Burns' TV series, The Civil War, and also in a film called The Congress.

Barbara Fields made history at Columbia University. She was the first African American woman to earn a permanent teaching position there. This is called "tenure." She has also taught at other universities. These include Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Mississippi.

She is famous for her essay from 1990, "Slavery, Race and Ideology in the United States of America." She also wrote a book in 2012 called Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life. She wrote this book with her sister, Karen Fields, who is a sociologist. In the book, they explain that the idea of "race" is not real in a biological way. Instead, they argue that "race" is something created by racism. They say racism is a way of misunderstanding how society really works. They believe that this idea of "racecraft" hides the true reasons for inequality in America.

Bard College gave Barbara Fields an honorary doctorate in 2007. This is a special degree given to honor someone's achievements. In 2017, she received the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement. Another historian, Thavolia Glymph, believes Barbara Fields is one of the greatest historians in the country.

Awards and Honors

Barbara Fields has received many important awards for her work:

• 1992: She was named a MacArthur Fellow. This is a special award given to talented people in many fields.
• 1986: She won the John H. Dunning Prize from the American Historical Association. This was for her book, Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground: Maryland during the Nineteenth Century.
• She received the Founders Prize from the Confederate Memorial Literary Society. This was for her work on The Destruction of Slavery.
• She also won the Thomas Jefferson Prize from the Society for the History of the Federal Government. This was also for The Destruction of Slavery.
• 1994: She was awarded the Lincoln Prize by the Lincoln and Soldiers Institute at Gettysburg College. This was for her book, Free At Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Emancipation, and the Civil War.

Books and Essays

Here are some of Barbara Fields' important writings:

• "Slavery, Race and Ideology in the United States of America" (1990): An essay about how ideas of race and slavery are connected.
• "Whiteness, Racism and Identity" (2001): An essay exploring ideas of whiteness, racism, and how people see themselves.
• "Origins of the New South and the Negro Question" (2001): An article about the history of the American South.
• "Of Rogues and Geldings" (2003): An article published in the American Historical Review.
• Slavery and Freedom on the Middle Ground: Maryland during the Nineteenth Century (1985): Her book about slavery and freedom in Maryland.
• The Destruction of Slavery (1985): A book she co-edited about the end of slavery.
• Slaves No More: Three Essays on the Emancipation and the Civil War (1992): A book with essays about the end of slavery and the Civil War.
• Free At Last: A Documentary History of Slavery, Emancipation, and the Civil War (1992): A book that uses historical documents to tell the story of slavery and freedom.
• Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life (2012): A book she wrote with her sister, Karen Fields, explaining how the idea of "race" is created by racism.