Joseph Rayback
Encyclopedia
Joseph G. Rayback was a professor of history in the United States
. He served in the United States Navy and earned a Ph.D. in American history at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. For many years, he was a professor of history and chair of the department at Pennsylvania State University
. He was faculty advisor to Phi Alpha Theta
, the honorary in history and with Donald B. Hoffmann helped to organize the society on a national basis. He served on the editorial board of the journal, The Historian, published by Phi Alpha Theta. Following service at Penn State, Rayback taught American history at the University of Saskatchewan in western Canada. In 1966, he was appointed professor of history at Temple University
. Among the courses he taught at the undergraduate level at Temple were American social and political history. At the graduate level he held seminars in Slavery and Antislavery and the Antebellum period.
Rayback studied the issues of American politics from 1830 to 1860 including federal politics of the slavery
issue, and the rise of the Republican Party
. He mentored dissertations in antebellum history, including the Antimasonic movement in New York State. As a corollary to this work, Rayback also became a scholar of early immigration policy
in the U.S.
In 1959, Rayback wrote a history of the American labor movement
.
Rayback was working on a biography of president Martin van Buren
when he died in 1983. He had collected an immense amount of data on New York state elections in the period 1820-1860. The half-completed work was expanded and finished by Jerome Mushkat, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Akron
. Another of Prof. Rayback's students was William H. Brackney, professor of Christian Thought and Ethics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. DR. Rayback was married to Virginia Kay Rayback and was brother to Robert J. Rayback, formerly professor of history at Syracuse University and author of Millard Fillmore: A Biography.Joseph Rayback was an active lay leader in the Episcopal Church, University Park, Pennsylvania.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He served in the United States Navy and earned a Ph.D. in American history at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. For many years, he was a professor of history and chair of the department at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
. He was faculty advisor to Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history.The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.-...
, the honorary in history and with Donald B. Hoffmann helped to organize the society on a national basis. He served on the editorial board of the journal, The Historian, published by Phi Alpha Theta. Following service at Penn State, Rayback taught American history at the University of Saskatchewan in western Canada. In 1966, he was appointed professor of history at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
. Among the courses he taught at the undergraduate level at Temple were American social and political history. At the graduate level he held seminars in Slavery and Antislavery and the Antebellum period.
Rayback studied the issues of American politics from 1830 to 1860 including federal politics of the slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
issue, and the rise of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He mentored dissertations in antebellum history, including the Antimasonic movement in New York State. As a corollary to this work, Rayback also became a scholar of early immigration policy
Immigration policy
An immigration policy is any policy of a state that deals with the transit of persons across its borders into the country, but especially those that intend to work and to remain in the country. Immigration policies can range from allowing no migration at all to allowing most types of migration,...
in the U.S.
In 1959, Rayback wrote a history of the American labor movement
Labor history of the United States
The labor history of the United States describes the history of organized labor, as well as the more general history of working people, in the United States. Pressures dictating the nature and power of organized labor have included the evolution and power of the corporation, efforts by employers...
.
Rayback was working on a biography of president Martin van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
when he died in 1983. He had collected an immense amount of data on New York state elections in the period 1820-1860. The half-completed work was expanded and finished by Jerome Mushkat, a professor emeritus of history at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
. Another of Prof. Rayback's students was William H. Brackney, professor of Christian Thought and Ethics at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. DR. Rayback was married to Virginia Kay Rayback and was brother to Robert J. Rayback, formerly professor of history at Syracuse University and author of Millard Fillmore: A Biography.Joseph Rayback was an active lay leader in the Episcopal Church, University Park, Pennsylvania.
Published works
- Mushkat, Jerome and Rayback, Joseph G. Martin Van Buren: Law, Politics, and the Shaping of Republican Ideology. DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-87580-229-X
- Rayback, Joseph. Free soil: The Election of 1848. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 1971. ISBN 0-8131-1222-2
- Rayback, Joseph G. A History of American Labor. Rev. and exp. ed. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., 1974. ISBN 1-299-50529-5