Walter Johnson (historian)
Encyclopedia
Walter Johnson is a leading American historian
specializing in the history of slavery, capitalism, and imperialism.
, the first son of Walter Johnson, Sr. and Mary Angela Johnson. His father was a professor of Economics at the University of Missouri
, and his mother was the director of the Children's House Montessori School.
Johnson graduated from the Rock Bridge High School
in 1984, and was inducted into its hall of fame in 2006. He graduated from Amherst College
in 1988; from the University of Cambridge
in 1989; and from Princeton University
with a Ph.D. in 1995.
Johnson taught history at New York University
, where he also directed the American Studies program, until 2006. He currently teaches U.S. history at Harvard University
, where he is Winthrop Professor of History and Professor of African and African American Studies.
Professor Johnson also directs the Project on Justice, Welfare, and Economics, an initiative founded in 2001 by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen
. JWE
seeks to support the work of younger scholars who integrate ethical, political and economic dimensions of human development.
In 2007, Johnson was an advising scholar for the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves, produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
, an ACLS-Burkhardt Fellowship, and a Mellon Fellowship in Cultural Studies at Wesleyan University
.
His first book, Soul by Soul: Inside the Antebellum Slave Market, won multiple awards, including the Francis B. Simkins Award (as co-winner) from the Southern Historical Association, the John Hope Franklin
Prize from the American Studies Association, the SHEAR Book Prize from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize (as co-winner) from the Organization of American Historians
, the Avery O. Craven Prize from the Organization of American Historians, and the Thomas J. Wilson Prize from Harvard University Press
. It was also a selection of the History Book Club.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
specializing in the history of slavery, capitalism, and imperialism.
Life
Walter Johnson was born in Columbia, MissouriColumbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, the first son of Walter Johnson, Sr. and Mary Angela Johnson. His father was a professor of Economics at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, and his mother was the director of the Children's House Montessori School.
Johnson graduated from the Rock Bridge High School
Rock Bridge High School
Rock Bridge High School is a public high school located in southern Columbia, Missouri. The school serves grades 10 through 12, and is a part of the Columbia Public Schools...
in 1984, and was inducted into its hall of fame in 2006. He graduated from Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
in 1988; from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in 1989; and from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with a Ph.D. in 1995.
Johnson taught history at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he also directed the American Studies program, until 2006. He currently teaches U.S. history at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he is Winthrop Professor of History and Professor of African and African American Studies.
Professor Johnson also directs the Project on Justice, Welfare, and Economics, an initiative founded in 2001 by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
. JWE
Jwé
Jwé is a kind of rural music from Saint Lucia, performed informally at wakes, beach parties, full moon gatherings and other informal events, including débòt dances. Jwwé uses raunchy lyrics and innuendos to show off verbal skills, and to express political and comedic commentaries on current events...
seeks to support the work of younger scholars who integrate ethical, political and economic dimensions of human development.
In 2007, Johnson was an advising scholar for the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves, produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
Awards
Professor Johnson has received numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim fellowship as well as fellowships from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, an ACLS-Burkhardt Fellowship, and a Mellon Fellowship in Cultural Studies at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
His first book, Soul by Soul: Inside the Antebellum Slave Market, won multiple awards, including the Francis B. Simkins Award (as co-winner) from the Southern Historical Association, the John Hope Franklin
John Hope Franklin
John Hope Franklin was a United States historian and past president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Historical Association. Franklin is best known for his work From Slavery to Freedom, first published in 1947, and...
Prize from the American Studies Association, the SHEAR Book Prize from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize (as co-winner) from the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
, the Avery O. Craven Prize from the Organization of American Historians, and the Thomas J. Wilson Prize from Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
. It was also a selection of the History Book Club.
Works
- "River of Dark Dreams: Slavery, Capitalism, and Imperialism in the Mississippi Valley,"
- “‘The Negro Fever,’ the South, and the Ignoble Effort to Re-Open the Atlantic Slave Trade”