A Concerned Citizen and a Historian

As someone who is a concerned citizen and also trained to be a historian, I found this quote from Arthur M. Schleslinger, Jr., who died yesterday at age 89, compelling:

"Being a concerned citizen does not prevent one from being a good citizen" (to Boston Globe, 1997).


He made that comment in response to questions about his political involvements, especially as an advisor to Adlai Stevenson and then as a member of JFK's staff. A Pulitzer Prize winning author and giant among America's historians, he offers an example that academia and public life are compatible.

When questions were raised about his objectivity, especially regarding his works on the Kennedy's he replied in to a 2004 AP report:

"I'm sure my affection for the Kennedy's shaded my judgment, but my affection for [Andrew] Jackson and Roosevelt also shades my judgement. . . . You don't have to know people in order to be in favor of them or against them."

Tis true, every historian must always be examining one's biases, because we often become gripped by their message or lives. Then of course there's me, a historian of the Nonjurors, whose politics and theology are so far from my own.

Schlesinger's contributions to history and politics are hailed in an excellent LA Times front page story.

Comments

Popular Posts