Charles A. Beard
| Charles A. Beard | |
|---|---|
Beard in 1917
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| Born |
Charles Austin Beard November 27, 1874 Knightstown, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1948 (aged 73) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
DePauw University (B.A., History, 1898) Columbia University (Ph.D., 1904) |
| Occupation | Historian, co-founder of The New School |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ritter Beard |
Charles Austin Beard (November 27, 1874 – September 1, 1948) was, with Frederick Jackson Turner, one of the most influential American historians of the first half of the 20th century. For a while he was a history professor at Columbia University but his influence came from hundreds of monographs, textbooks and interpretive studies in both history and political science. His works included a radical re-evaluation of the founding fathers of the United States, who he believed were motivated more by economics than by philosophical principles. Beard's most influential book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913), has been the subject of great controversy ever since its publication. While frequently criticized for its methodology and conclusions, it was responsible for a wide-ranging reinterpretation of American history of the founding era. He was also the co-author with his wife Mary Beard of The Rise of American Civilization (1927), which had a major influence on American historians.
An icon of the progressive school of historical interpretation, his reputation suffered during the Cold War era when the assumption of economic class conflict was dropped by most historians. Richard Hofstadter (a consensus historian) concluded in 1968: "Today Beard's reputation stands like an imposing ruin in the landscape of American historiography. What was once the grandest house in the province is now a ravaged survival". Hofstadter, nevertheless, praised Beard, saying he was "foremost among the American historians of his or any generation in the search for a usable past".
Charles Beard was born in the Indiana Corn Belt in 1874. His father was a farmer, contractor, part-time banker and real-state speculator. In his youth Charles worked on the family farm and attended a local Quaker school, Spiceland Academy. He was expelled from the school for unclear reasons, but graduated from the public Knightstown High School in 1891. For the next few years the brothers managed a local newspaper. Their editorial position, like their father's, was conservative. They supported the Republican Party and favored prohibition, a cause for which Charles lectured in later years. Beard attended DePauw University, a nearby Methodist college, graduating in 1898. He edited the college newspaper and was active in debate.
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