Eighty percent of Americans have no British ancestors. According to David Hackett Fischer, however, their day-to-day lives are profoundly influenced by folkways transplanted from Britain to the New World with the first settlers. Residual, yet persistent, aspects of these 17th Century folkways are indentifiable, Fischer argues, in areas as divers as politics, education, and attitudes towards gender, sexuality, age, and child-raising. Making use of both traditional and revisionist scholarship, this ground-breaking work documents how each successive wave of early emigration-Puritans to the North-East; Royalist aristocrats to the South; the Friends to the Delaware Valley; Irish and North Britons to the American backcountry-contributed to, and continue to affect, ingrained cultural differences between various regions in the United States.

David Hackett Fischer

University Professor and Earl Warren Professor of History

Degrees

The Johns Hopkins University, Ph.D.

Princeton University, B.A.

Expertise

American history, comparative history.

David Hackett Fischer, Historian

Profile

David Hackett Fischer, Historian

Courses Taught

HIST 151b The American Revolution

HIST 152a American History, American Literature

HIST 153b Slavery and the American Civil War

HIST 166b World War II

HIST 189b Reading and Research in American History

HIST 200a Colloquium in American History

Awards and Honors

Pritzger Prize ($100,000) for scholarship in Military history (2015)

Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Maine, Fort Kent (2014)

Member of the "L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" with the rank of "Commandeur", by decree of the "Minister de la culture et communication", Christine Albanel, dated 31 March 2009. (2009)

Elected to membership, Century Association, New York (2006)

Honorary life member, Society of the Cincinnati (2006)

Irving Kristol Prize, American Enterprise Institute (2006)

"Liberty and Freedom" was the History book club's main selection (2005)

History Book Club main selection (Paul Revere's Ride) (2005)

Pulitzer prize in History for "Washingtons Crossing" (2005)

Fenn Foundation Award "for teaching and research on Lexington Alarm Research Project" (1998)

Massachusetts Teachers Association Kidger Prize for Teaching (1997)

American Association of University Presses prize for overall excellence (Albion's Seed) (1996)

Award for (Paul Revere's Ride): Award, Irving Medal for Literary Distinction, Old North Church Lantern Award, Boston Public Library Literary Light (1996)

Ingersoll Foundation Prize for Scholarship (1996)

Richard M. Weaver Award for Scholarly Letters to "recognize an author of abiding importance" (1996)

Book of the Year Awards for Paul Revere's Ride (1995)

Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1995)

Book of the Month Club Alternate Selection (Paul Revere's Ride) (1993)

Fulbright Fellowship (1993)

Life Member, Bodleian Library (1993)

Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching (1990)

Massachusetts CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) and Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year (1990)

Colonial Dames of America (Albion's Seed) (1989)

Immigration History Society (Albion's Seed) (1989)

Theodore Saloutos Book Award for best work published in American immigration history: (Albion's Seed) (1989)

Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of Amerian History, Oxford University (1985)

Director, National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar (1979)

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant (1978)

Earl Warren Chair in American Constitutional (1971)