Daniel J. Boorstin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daniel J. Boorstin
12th Librarian of Congress
In office November 12, 1975 – September 14, 1987
President	Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Lawrence Quincy Mumford
Succeeded by	James Billington
Personal details
Born	Daniel Joseph Boorstin (1914-10-01)October 1, 1914 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Died	February 28, 2004(2004-02-28) (aged 89) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University (AB) Balliol College, Oxford (BA, BCL) Yale University (SJD)
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for History (1974)

Daniel Joseph Boorstin (born October 1, 1914 – died February 28, 2004) was an important American historian. He wrote many books about American and world history. From 1975 to 1987, he was the head of the Library of Congress, which is one of the biggest libraries in the world. He also helped create the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, which encourages reading and books.

When he was young, Boorstin was part of a political group. Later, he changed his views and became a political conservative. He believed that American success came from inventors and business people. His ideas were part of a group of historians who thought that Americans were mostly united, rather than divided by class or social problems.

About Daniel Boorstin

Daniel Boorstin was born in 1914 in Atlanta, Georgia. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he grew up. He finished high school when he was 15 years old.

He went to Harvard University and graduated with top honors. Then, he studied at Balliol College, Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar. He also earned a special law degree from Yale University.

In 1953, Boorstin worked with a government committee. He later became a professor at the University of Chicago in 1944, where he taught for many years. He also worked at the Smithsonian Institution, which runs many national museums.

In 1975, President Gerald Ford chose Boorstin to be the Librarian of Congress. This is a very important job, overseeing the largest library in the world.

His Family and Books

In 1941, Daniel Boorstin married Ruth Carolyn Frankel. She was a big help with his writing. He often said that she was his editor and companion for all his books.

Together, Daniel and Ruth wrote more than 20 books. He wrote two main series of books. One series, called The Americans, explored the history of the United States. The last book in this series, The Americans: The Democratic Experience, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1974. This is a very famous award for writers.

His second series of books, which included The Discoverers, The Creators, and The Seekers, looked at the history of science, art, and philosophy around the world.

Boorstin also wrote a book called The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America in 1961. In this book, he talked about how advertising and media can make things seem more important or "real" than they actually are. He used the term "pseudo-event" for things that happen mainly to get attention or publicity. This book also talked about ideas that are similar to what we now call "fake news".

Daniel Boorstin retired in 1987 to focus on writing full-time. He passed away on February 28, 2004, in Washington D.C.

Boorstin's Ideas About History

Daniel Boorstin had some interesting ways of looking at American history:

• He believed that what Americans agreed on was more important than what they argued about.
• He focused on how things stayed the same or grew over time, rather than on big, sudden changes.
• He didn't like ideas that were too strict or fixed. He thought that people who solved problems were more important than pure thinkers.
• He was a conservative in his politics and how he viewed culture. He didn't like what he saw as rude or cheap things in American life and advertising.
• He noticed how everyday inventions like air conditioning, telephones, and canned food changed American life a lot.

His Work at the Library of Congress

When Daniel Boorstin became the Librarian of Congress, he brought new energy to the library. He helped open up the library more to the public, to scholars, and to new groups of people.

In 1976, he found the items that were in President Abraham Lincoln's pockets when he was assassinated. These items had been kept safe in the Librarian's office. Boorstin made sure these important artifacts were put on public display. They are now a very popular attraction for visitors.

He also helped create two important centers at the Library of Congress:

• The American Folklife Center in 1976, which helps preserve American traditions and culture.
• The Center for the Book in 1977, which promotes reading and libraries.

During his time, the Library of Congress also opened a Performing Arts Library and created the Council of Scholars, which connected the library with academic experts. A big new building for the library, the James Madison Memorial Building, was also completed during his leadership. He even helped open the Mary Pickford Theater in the Madison Building to show the library's large collection of movies.

Boorstin worked hard to get more money for the Library of Congress. He convinced Congress to provide more funds to fix up the library's older buildings, the Thomas Jefferson Building and the John Adams Building. He also fought against budget cuts, which led to him being called "an intellectual Paul Revere" for defending the library.

Overall, the money the Library of Congress received from the government more than doubled during his time as Librarian.

Awards and Honors

Daniel Boorstin received many awards for his work:

• The Bancroft Prize for his book The Americans: The Colonial Experience (1958).
• The Francis Parkman Prize for The Americans: The National Experience (1965).
• The Pulitzer Prize for The Americans: The Democratic Experience (1973).
• The Order of the Sacred Treasure, First Class, from the Japanese government in 1986.
• The Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1986.

He was a member of important groups like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 1989. He received many honorary degrees from universities.

Books

• The Mysterious Science of the Law: An Essay on Blackstone's Commentaries (1941)
• The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson (1948)
• The Genius of American Politics (University of Chicago Press, 1953)
• The Americans: The Colonial Experience (1958)
• America and the Image of Europe: Reflections on American Thought (1960)
• A Lady's Life In The Rocky Mountains: Introduction (1960)
• The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America (1962)
• The Americans: The National Experience (1965)
• The Landmark History of the American People: From Plymouth to Appomattox (1968)
• The Decline of Radicalism: Reflections of America Today (1969)
• The Landmark History of the American People: From Appomattox to the Moon (1970)
• The Sociology of the Absurd: Or, the Application of Professor X (1970)
• The Americans: The Democratic Experience (1973)
• Democracy and Its Discontents: Reflections on Everyday America (1974)
• The Exploring Spirit: America and the World, Then and Now (1976)
• The Republic of Technology (1978)
• A History of the United States with Brooks M. Kelley and Ruth Frankel (1981)
• The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself (1983)
• Hidden History (1987)
• The Creators: A History of Heroes of the Imagination (1992)
• Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected (1994)
• The Seekers: The Story of Man's Continuing Quest to Understand His World (1998)

See also

In Spanish: Daniel J. Boorstin para niños