Society of American Historians facts for kids
The Society of American Historians is a special group started in 1939. It helps make sure that books and stories about American history are written in a really excellent way. This group celebrates great writing about America's past and the lives of important people.
About 300 members belong to the Society. These members are professional historians, writers, journalists, filmmakers, and even novelists. They are all chosen because they write about American history in a way that is both smart and easy to read.
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Awards for Great History
The Society gives out several important awards each year. These awards celebrate the best writing in American history. They are usually announced at a special dinner in May.
Francis Parkman Prize
This award is given every year for a non-fiction book about American history. The book must be very well-written and have a great story. It is named after Francis Parkman, a historian from the 1800s. His books about France and England in North America were famous for their elegant style and deep historical facts.
Prize for Historical Fiction
This award is given every two years for the best historical novel about an American topic. A historical novel is a made-up story that takes place in the past and includes real historical events or people. This prize used to be called the James Fenimore Cooper Prize.
Allan Nevins Prize
The Allan Nevins Prize celebrates new and excellent history writing. It is given every year to the best written doctoral paper (a very long research paper) about an American subject. The winning paper is then published as a book by one of the Society's publisher members. This award is named after Allan Nevins, who was the main person who started the Society.
Tony Horwitz Prize
The Tony Horwitz Prize honors important work in American history that many people enjoy and that has lasting meaning. It was first given out in 2020. This award remembers Tony Horwitz, who was a past president of the Society. He was a famous journalist and historian known for his kind and graceful writing style.
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Award
From 2008 to 2017, the Society also gave out the Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Award. This award was for excellent writing in American history that had a big impact on the public. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. was a very important historian in the 1900s. He was known for making history interesting and important for everyone.
How the Society Started
The Society of American Historians was created in 1939. It was started by Allan Nevins and some of his friends. Nevins believed that some historians were writing in a way that was too boring or hard to understand. He called this the "pedantic school" of history. He thought that history should be written clearly and engagingly.
Allan Nevins taught history at Columbia University for more than 35 years. He wrote over 50 books, including a long history of the American Civil War. He also wrote biographies (life stories) of famous people like John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford. Nevins was a journalist before he became a professor. He was known for his strong and readable writing style. He continued to write for newspapers and radio throughout his life.
How the Society Works
The Society of American Historians has leaders who help run it. For 2024 and 2025, Martha A. Sandweiss is the president and Martha Hodes is the vice president. The Society's main office is at Columbia University. It gets most of its money from yearly fees paid by its members and by publishing companies. The Society is also connected to the American Historical Association, another big group for historians.
