David S. Brown - Richard Hofstadter

An American historian named Richard Hofstadter published a book in 1948 called "The American Political Tradition."  This became possibly the most popular American history book ever published.  The book is unique in that it reached a popular reading public as well as being read and discussed by scores of graduate students over the years.  It seems that the book became required reading for all serious students of American history.

The book, a series of vignettes about some of the leading players in American history like Jefferson, Lincoln, and FDR, covered the entirety of our shared history.  The author was only 34 when the book was published.  I used to wonder how this historian could be so knowledgeable about the entirely of American history when most historians specialize in particular periods of our history.  After reading this biography, I understand how.

Hofstadter's other book of great interest is "The Age of Reform."  This book won the Pulitzer for 1956.  I didn't realize it till I read Dionne's book but this book has been very influential and controversial over the years as it put the  late 19th century populists in a bad light.  Hofstadter, an Eastern and urban liberal, painted the populists as a bunch of redneck conservatives and he downplayed their economic grievances.  Many historians take Hofstadter for this, including Dionne.

For Hofstadter, who died at the untimely age of 54 in 1970, was as much a writer, a stylist, as he was an historian.  He is certainly one of our greatest historians, yet in this book I learn that he disdaned archival research.  I've always assumed that the lifeblood of historical research is original sources, but apparently Hofstadter somehow developed his historical opinions short of working original sources.  How he came to such strong and mostly respected opinions I still do not understand after reading this biography.