Hans L. Trefousse
Encyclopedia
Hans L. Trefousse was an American author, historian, and professor emeritus at Brooklyn College
from 1950 to 1998. He also taught as a distinguished professor of history at City University of New York
.
to interrogate German soldiers.
and Rutherford B. Hayes
. In the 1960s, he confronted the dominant historical narrative of the time regarding Reconstruction, arguing instead that Reconstruction was a failed attempt "to bring racial justice to the South." In total he authored over twenty books.
He gained media attention during Bill Clinton
's impeachment for drawing comparisons to Johnson's impeachment.
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
from 1950 to 1998. He also taught as a distinguished professor of history at City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
.
Early life
Trefousse was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in the 1930s. He graduated from New York City College in 1942. He then enlisted in the Army where he served as an intelligence officer in WW II, using his fluent GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to interrogate German soldiers.
Career
Trefousse focused his work on the history of the Reconstruction, and wrote books on Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
and Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
. In the 1960s, he confronted the dominant historical narrative of the time regarding Reconstruction, arguing instead that Reconstruction was a failed attempt "to bring racial justice to the South." In total he authored over twenty books.
He gained media attention during Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's impeachment for drawing comparisons to Johnson's impeachment.
Books
- The Radical Republicans: Lincoln's Vanguard for Racial Justice
- Andrew Johnson
- Impeachment of a President: Andrew Johnson, the Blacks, and Reconstruction
- Thaddeus Stevens: Nineteenth-Century Egalitarian
- Rutherford B. Hayes
- German and American Neutrality, 1939-1941
- Ben Butler: The South Called Him Beast!
- Carl Schurz: A Biography
- Pearl Harbor: The Continuing Controversy