Edward Channing
Encyclopedia
Edward Perkins Channing (June 15, 1856 – January 7, 1931) was a conservative American historian and an author of a monumental History of the United States in six volumes, for which he won the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for History
. His thorough research in printed sources and judicious judgments made the book a standard reference for scholars for decades. Channing taught at Harvard 1883-1929.
, the fifth child of Ellen Kilshaw Fuller (1820–56), a sister of Margaret Fuller
, and William Ellery Channing (1818–1901), the poet and walking companion of Henry David Thoreau
. Some months after his birth, his mother died, and he was placed out with a shoemaker and his wife in Abington, Mass. Some time around 1860, his paternal grandfather William Channing and his daughter took care of him. Young Edward Channing attended a private school and entered Harvard College in autumn 1874; after college he took a PhD in history at Harvard. In 1880, his grandfather died, leaving an inheritance of $300. He undertook a nine-months tour through Europe, which led him also to the Near East and North Africa. After he returned, he wrote geographical articles for Science, for example about the Sudan and geography-instruction at German schools. In 1883, he became an instructor of history at Harvard University and an assistant for professor Torrey. On July 22, 1886, he married the sister-in-law of Thomas Wentworth Higginson
, Alice Thacher. They had two daughters.
and was the basis of the first paper given at the first meeting of the American Historical Association
in 1884 in Saratoga, N.Y.
In 1887 Channing became assistant professor, in 1897 professor, and in 1912 McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History (one of the oldest professorships for secular history in the United States, once held by Jared Sparks). He retired in 1929.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Channing was elected president of the American Historical Association in 1919. In 1921 and 1926 respectively, he received honorary doctorates by the Michigan University and the Columbia University.
Pulitzer Prize for History
The Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography...
. His thorough research in printed sources and judicious judgments made the book a standard reference for scholars for decades. Channing taught at Harvard 1883-1929.
Life and works
Edward Channing was born in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, the fifth child of Ellen Kilshaw Fuller (1820–56), a sister of Margaret Fuller
Margaret Fuller
Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, commonly known as Margaret Fuller, was an American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first full-time American female book reviewer in journalism...
, and William Ellery Channing (1818–1901), the poet and walking companion of Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
. Some months after his birth, his mother died, and he was placed out with a shoemaker and his wife in Abington, Mass. Some time around 1860, his paternal grandfather William Channing and his daughter took care of him. Young Edward Channing attended a private school and entered Harvard College in autumn 1874; after college he took a PhD in history at Harvard. In 1880, his grandfather died, leaving an inheritance of $300. He undertook a nine-months tour through Europe, which led him also to the Near East and North Africa. After he returned, he wrote geographical articles for Science, for example about the Sudan and geography-instruction at German schools. In 1883, he became an instructor of history at Harvard University and an assistant for professor Torrey. On July 22, 1886, he married the sister-in-law of Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He was active in the American Abolitionism movement during the 1840s and 1850s, identifying himself with disunion and militant abolitionism...
, Alice Thacher. They had two daughters.
Academic
In 1883 Channing received a prize of $150 for his work "Town and County Government in the English Colonies of North America". This monograph also brought him the membership in the Massachusetts Historical SocietyMassachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history...
and was the basis of the first paper given at the first meeting of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
in 1884 in Saratoga, N.Y.
In 1887 Channing became assistant professor, in 1897 professor, and in 1912 McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History (one of the oldest professorships for secular history in the United States, once held by Jared Sparks). He retired in 1929.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Channing was elected president of the American Historical Association in 1919. In 1921 and 1926 respectively, he received honorary doctorates by the Michigan University and the Columbia University.
Works
- A History of the United States Vol 1 1000-1660 is online at http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=OCLC00421669&id=asNGXb1XTwAC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=edward+channing
- A History of the United States Vol 2 1660- 1760 is online at http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=OCLC00421669&id=n7WO9y1RZa4C&dq=edward+channing+1660&pg=PR5&printsec=4&lpg=PR5
- A History of the United States Vol 3, 1760–1787, is online at http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=OCLC00421669&id=YAz2_H2E33YC&dq=loyalist+soldiers+militia+1776&pg=PP13&printsec=4&lpg=PP13
- A History of the United States Vol 4 1787-1815 is online at http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=OCLC00421669&id=E37qAmksEF0C&dq=edward+channing+history+united+states&pg=PP11&printsec=4&lpg=PP11
- A History of the United States Vol 5 1815-1860.
- A History of the United States Vol 6 The War for Southern Independence (1925), Pulitzer Prize for HistoryPulitzer Prize for HistoryThe Pulitzer Prize for History has been awarded since 1917 for a distinguished book upon the history of the United States. Many history books have also been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction and Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography...
winner in 1926 - The Navigation Laws (1890)
- The United States of America, 1765-1865 (1896), a textbook
Secondary sources
- Cappon, Lester J. "Channing and Hart: Partners in Bibliography." New England Quarterly 29, no. 3 (Sept. 1956):318-40. in JSTOR
- DeNovo, John A. "Edward Channing's 'Great Work' Twenty Years After." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 39, no. 2 (Sept. 1952):257-74. in JSTOR
- Fahrney, Ralph Ray. "Edward Channing." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 18, no. 1 (June 1931):53-59, obituary in JSTOR
- Fahrney, Ralph Ray. "Edward Channing." In The Marcus W. Jernegan Essays in American Historiography, 294-312. Ed. by William T. Hutchinson. (1937).
- Fish, Carl Rusell. "Edward Channing: America's Historian." Current History 33 (March 1931):862-67, obituary
- Joyce, Davis Darrell. Edward Channing and the Great Work. The most comprehensive study.