Henry Steele Commager Papers
Scope and Contents
The Henry Steele Commager Papers document the rich professional life and career of this 20th century historian, public intellectual, and engaged citizen. The papers include the extensive correspondence received from historians, congressmen, educators, journalists, jurists, publishers, as well as former students, school children, and the general public. Commager's writings and public appearances reflect his productive, active professional life as well as his influence within the profession. The papers are a rich resource for exploring pivotal issues of 20th century American society, including the interventionist role in Europe; civil liberties; academic freedom; the loyalty oath; nationalism; education; student unrest; the American military in Vietnam; the expansion of executive power; changing views of foreign policy; and the purpose and role of education in society. While the Commager papers are extensive, there are gaps in the documentation.
Dates
- Creation: 1920-1998
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1945-1985
Creator
- Commager, Henry Steele, 1902-1998 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There is no restriction on access to the Henry Steele Commager Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes. The majority of this collection is housed in off-site storage and requires advance notice before use. Please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Conditions Governing Use
Mary Powlesland Commager holds all literary and other rights to Henry Steele Commager‘s work; requests for permission to quote from his work should be directed to her. Additionally, requests for permission to publish material from Henry Steele Commager Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all other copyrights.
Extent
84 Linear feet (16 records storage boxes, 120 archives boxes, 4 half archives boxes, 6 oversize flat boxes, 2 object boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Papers documenting the professional life and career of Henry Steele Commager, 20th century historian, public intellectual, and engaged citizen. They include the extensive letters received from historians, congressmen, educators, journalists, jurists, publishers, as well as former students, and the general public. Commager's writings and public appearances reflect his active professional life as well as his influence within the profession. The papers document a wide variety of issues of 20th century American society, including the interventionist role in Europe; civil liberties; academic freedom; the loyalty oath; nationalism; the American military in Vietnam; the expansion of executive power; changing views of foreign policy; and the purpose and role of education in society.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into six series:
- Series 1: Correspondence, 1926-1994
- Series 2: Writings, 1927-1989
- Series 3: Public Appearances, 1938-1990
- Series 4: Teaching Materials, 1933-1994
- Series 5: Research Files, approximately 1930-1990
- Series 6: Biographical Materials, 1920-1998
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Mary Powlesland Commager deposited her husband's scholarly and literary papers from his home and his Amherst College offices with the Archives and Special Collections in 1987, 1992, 1993, and 1996. These deposits became a gift in 1999. Mary Powlesland Commager retains copyright and literary rights at this time (2007).
In 2006, former students, friends and family of Henry Steele Commager created the Henry Steele Commager Papers Project to support the arrangement and description of his papers to archival standards.
The Papers came to the Archives and Special Collections with little inherent organization. A portion of the papers were loose in boxes; some were in folders or manila envelopes with and without identification; enclosures and attachments were separated from the transmittal letters; multi-page letters and documents were often separated. There was evidence of previous attempts to arrange the materials by those who had access to the papers before they were given to Archives and Special Collections.
After review the Papers were organized into logical groupings of correspondence, writings, talks, teaching and other materials. Documents were sorted to these groupings and then arranged to an appropriate sequence, e.g. alphabetically by name of correspondent, or chronologically.
Chronology
- 1902 Oct 25
- Born in Pittsburgh, Penn. to James Williams Commager and Anna Elizabeth Dagmar Dan
- 1923
- Completed Ph.B. at the University of Chicago
- 1924
- Completed M.A. at the University of Chicago
- 1924-25
- Studied at University of Copenhagen on an American-Scandinavian Foundation fellowship
- 1926-38
- Taught at New York University:
1926-29 Instructor
1929-30 Assistant Professor
1930-31 Associate Professor
1931-38 Professor - 1928
- Married Evan Alexa Carroll.
Children: Henry Steele, Nellie Thomas, and Elizabeth Carroll
Completed Ph.D. at the University of Chicago: Struensee and the Reform Movement in Denmark
Began working with Samuel Eliot Morrison on Growth of the American Republic - 1929
- Received American Historical Association's Herbert Baxter Adams Prize for most distinguished first book
- 1930
- Growth of the American Republic published
- 1934
- Documents of American History published
Our Nation published, Eugene C. Barker, co-author - 1936
- The Great American Preacher: Theodore Parker published
- 1939-56
- Taught at Columbia University:
Visiting Professor 1937-38
Professor 1939-56
Adjunct Faculty 1956-59 - 1939
- Wrote New York Times Magazine series advocating interventionist role in Europe
Heritage of America published, edited with Allan Nevins - 1940-46
- History Editor for Oxford University Press
- 1940
- Involved with Committee to Defend America by Defending the Allies
- 1941
- Bacon Lecturer at Boston University
- 1940-49
- Wrote regular column for Scholastic for middle and high school readers
- 1942
- The Pocket History of the United States co-authored with Alan Nevins
Richards Lecturer at University of Virginia
Appointed to editorial board of The American Scholar - 1942-43
- Visiting Professor of American History Cambridge University, Peterhouse College
Inaugurated American Studies at Cambridge University - 1943
- Majority Rule and Minority Rights published
America: Story of a Free People published, with Allan Nevins - 1943
- Appointed special representative to the Office of War Information "to fulfill lecture arrangements scheduled by the British Ministry of Information"
Appointed to the War Department's Historical Branch Advisory Committee - 1943 Fall
- Assessed Nazi military power for Army Air Force with historian panel
- 1944
- Recorded "nonpolitical talks" on American electoral process for the Office of War Information to be broadcast to Europeans on shortwave radio
Majority Rules, Minority Rights published - 1945
- Consultant to the United States Army, attached to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force
The Pocket History of the United States with Allan Nevins released under the title A Short History of the United States The Story of the Second World War published
Meet the USA published - 1947-48
- Pitt Professor at Cambridge University
- 1947
- "Who is Loyal to America?" published in Harper's
America in Perspective published (editor) - 1948-51
- President of PEN
- 1948
- The St. Nicholas Anthology compiled with Evan Commager
- 1950
- The Blue and Grey published
The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and Character Since the 1880s published - 1951
- Appointed to the Foreign Policy Association Editorial Advisory Committee
Lecturer at Salzburg Seminar in American Studies
Living Ideas in America published - 1952
- Elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters
Attended the Fulbright Conference on American Studies at Cambridge
Chestnut the Squirrel published - 1952-53
- Held the first Harmsworth Professorship at Oxford University
- 1953
- Lectured at Royal University Uppsala as Gottesman Professor
"Guilt - and Innocence - By Association" published in the New York Times - 1954
- Europe and America Since 1942 published, co-authored with Geoffrey Bruun
Encyclopedia of American History published, co-edited with Richard Morris
New American Nation series launched by Harpers, Commager and Morris co-editors
Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent published
Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent earned Sidney Hillman Foundation Award - 1954 Nov 24
- Interviewed on CBS television program Chronoscope
- 1954-55
- Zuskind Professor at Brandeis University
- 1955-56
- Fulbright Professor of American History at the University of Copenhagen
- 1956
- Lectured at German universities in State Department program
- 1956-92
- Taught at Amherst College
- 1956
- Smith Professor of History
- 1957-61
- Amherst College Professor of American History and American Studies
- 1962-71
- Winthrop H. Smith Professor of American History and American Studies
- 1971-92
- John Woodruff Simpson Lecturer in History and Emeritus Smith Professor
- 1993-98
- John Woodruff Simpson Lecturer, Emeritus
- 1956
- Gave lecture series at Port of Spain, Trinidad
- 1957
- Awarded Knight of Order of Dannebrog (Denmark)
Visiting Professor at University of Aix, France - 1958
- The Spirit of Seventy Six published with Richard Morris
Lecturer, University of Israel - 1960-61
- Received Guggenheim Fellowship to study American nationalism
- 1960
- Appointed Gino Speranza Lecturer on American Traditions and Ideals at Columbia University
Supported Senator John F. Kennedy as a member of the organization Intellectuals for Kennedy - 1960
- Editorial advisory committee to the Woodrow Wilson Papers
- 1961
- Historical consultant to NBC television series The Americans
Appeared on ABC television show Meet the Professor - 1962
- Appointed to the United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Crusaders for Freedom published - 1963
- Advisory Editor of History to Charles H. Merrill Books College Division
- 1963 Jul 31
- The Dialogues of Allan Nevins and Henry Steele Commager broadcast on CBS Television Network
- 1964
- Commonwealth Lecturer, University of London
Harris Lecturer, Northwestern University - 1965
- Visiting Lecturer, National University of Mexico
The Nature and Study of History published - 1966
- Elected to the National Academy of Arts & Letters
"Television the Medium" in TV Guide
Freedom and Order published - 1967
- Freedom and Reform edited by Harold Hyman and Leonard Levy published to honor Commager
Donates Childe Hassam painting Flags on Friar's Club to Amherst College
Chaired the Massachusetts Dissenting Democrats
Active with the National Committee for Effective Congress (NCEC) - 1967 Feb 20
- Appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss foreign policy
- 1968
- The Commonwealth of Learning published
- 1968
- Active with Citizens for Eugene McCarthy
- 1968 Mar 28
- Evan (Carroll) Commager died
Born: 1904 Feb 4
Married: 1928 Jul 3 - 1970
- Donated nearly 6,000 volumes to Hampshire College Library
- 1971
- Appointed to the John Woodruff Simpson Chair at Amherst College, previously held by Robert Frost and Archibald MacLeish; appointed Emeritus Professor
- Served Library of Congress as Honorary Consultant in American History
- Funded Evan Commager Fellowship at Amherst College
- 1971 Mar 8
- Appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on War Powers Act
- 1972
- Awarded American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for History
- 1972 Mar 1
- Addressed the Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure on issue of amnesty for Vietnam draft resisters
- 1973 Oct
- New York Times headline: "Commager Urges Nixon Impeachment"
- 1974
- Britain Through American Eyes published
The Defeat of America published - 1974
- Appeared on Bill Moyer's Journal television program
- 1975
- Declaration of Interdependence for World Affairs Council published
- 1977
- Empire of Reason published
- 1977 Spring
- Held Patten Lectureship at Indiana University
- 1979
- Our Day and Generation: The Words of Edward M. Kennedy, editor
Mort Kunstler's 50 Epic Paintings, text by Commager - 1979 Jul 14
- Married Mary Eleanor Powlesland
- 1980 Feb 20
- Appeared on The Dick Cavett Show
- 1981
- Appointed Bullitt Visiting Professor of American History at the University of Washington in Seattle for the winter and spring quarters
- 1984
- Awarded Claude Pepper Medal for contributions to social democracy
- 1985
- Awarded special citation from Actor's Fund of America at Night of 100 Stars II
- 1987
- Advisor to PBS Childhood
- 1988 Sep 15
- Appeared on Bill Moyer's A World of Ideas television series (WNET)
- 1990 May 2
- Received the Society of American Historians, Bruce Catton Prize for Lifetime Achievement
- 1991
- Honored with named professorship "in recognition of 35 years distinguished scholarship and dedication to the teaching" of Amherst students
- 1993
- Commager on Tocqueville published
- 1998 Mar 2
- Died in Amherst, Mass.
Geographic
Topical
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by: Anne Ostendarp, Project Archivist; Juliet Demeter, Project Assistant; Adam Novitt, Project Assistant; Caro Pinto, Project Assistant; Mariah Sakrejda-Leavitt, Project Assistant; Michelle Barron, AC 2010, Student Assistant; William Bell, AC 2010, Student Assistant; Kita Lantman, AC 2008E, Student Assistant; Jackline Makena, AC 2010, Student Assistant Finding Aid prepared by: Anne Ostendarp, Project Archivist; Juliet Demeter, Project Assistant; Adam Novitt, Project Assistant; Caro Pinto, Project Assistant; Mariah Sakrejda-Leavitt, Project Assistant Edited by: Daria D'Arienzo, Head of Archives & Special Collections; Anne Ostendarp, Project Archivist
- Date
- 2007
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Supported by former students, family and friends of Henry Steele Commager through the Commager Papers Project Fund; additional support from the Friends of the Amherst College Library.
Repository Details
Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299
archives@amherst.edu