Samuel Flagg Bemis facts for kids

Samuel Flagg Bemis (born October 20, 1891 – died September 26, 1973) was an important American historian and writer. He taught for many years at Yale University. He was also the President of the American Historical Association. Bemis was an expert in diplomatic history, which is the study of how countries deal with each other. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. Many people consider him one of the best historians of early American diplomacy.

Life of Samuel Flagg Bemis

Bemis was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. He earned his first degree (B.A.) in 1912 from Clark University. The next year, he received his A.M. degree from Clark as well. In 1916, he earned his Ph.D. (a very high degree) from Harvard University.

Early Teaching Career

Bemis started teaching at Colorado College in 1917. He stayed there until 1921. From 1921 to 1923, he taught at Whitman College in Washington state. He also worked as a researcher at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

In 1924, Bemis joined George Washington University. He became the head of the history department in 1925. From 1927 to 1929, he led a special project for the Library of Congress in Europe.

Yale University and Later Years

Bemis left George Washington University in 1934. In 1935, he began teaching at Yale University. He stayed at Yale for the rest of his career. He became a very respected professor, holding special titles like "Farnham Professor" and "Sterling Professor" of diplomatic history.

In 1958, he was chosen as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a special honor for important thinkers. He retired in 1960. In 1961, he served as the president of the American Historical Association. He gave a speech about "American Foreign Policy and the Blessings of Liberty." Samuel Flagg Bemis passed away in Bridgeport, Connecticut, when he was 81 years old.

He once supported the League of Nations, an international organization for peace. However, after some time, he changed his mind. He felt it had not worked well because powerful countries only helped when it suited their own interests.

Samuel Bemis's Historical Work

First page of a reading list for Bemis's history course at Yale in 1949.

Many historians see Samuel Flagg Bemis as a "founding father" of diplomatic history in the United States. He wrote about how America dealt with other countries. His writings often showed a strong American viewpoint. He usually blamed other countries for conflicts. However, he always provided careful analysis, even when it disagreed with official government views.

Bemis believed that the "Good Neighbor policy" was a great success. This policy improved relations between the U.S. and Latin American countries. He praised it for bringing these nations together. He also liked how the U.S. led the fight against Fascists and Nazis. During the Cold War, Bemis thought Latin America was less important in world diplomacy.

Award-Winning Books

Bemis was a very good writer. His books won many awards. He also taught his students how important good writing was. They, in turn, taught their own students the same lesson. He won the Pulitzer Prize twice, which is a very high honor for writers.

Some of his important books include:

• Jay's Treaty: A Study in Commerce and Diplomacy (1924). This book won the Knights of Columbus Historical Prize.
• Pinckney's Treaty: America's Advantage from Europe's Distress, 1783–1800 (1926). This book won the 1927 Pulitzer Prize for History.
• The Latin American Policy of the United States (1943).
• The Diplomacy of the American Revolution (1935).

Books on John Quincy Adams

His most famous achievement was a two-volume set of books about John Quincy Adams.

• John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy (1949). This book won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1950.
• John Quincy Adams and the Union (1956). This book covered Adams's life after he was president. It showed his time as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Bemis greatly admired Adams. He believed Adams understood "the essentials of American policy and the position of the United States in the world."

Other Major Works

Bemis also led an 18-volume series called The American Secretaries of State and Their Diplomacy. This series covered the history of U.S. foreign policy. It included important figures like Robert R. Livingston and Charles Evans Hughes. He also wrote a well-known textbook on diplomatic history. It was first published in 1936 and updated four times.

Awards and Prizes

• Knights of Columbus Historical Prize
• 1926 Albert Shaw Lectures on Diplomatic History
• 1927 Pulitzer Prize for History
• 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
• 1954 Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts-Biography
• 1958 Elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences