David Morris Potter (December 6, 1910 – February 18, 1971) was an American historian specializing in the study of the coming of the American Civil War, especially the political factors. His best known book is The Impending Crisis, 1848–1861, which was completed and edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher and published posthumously in 1976.
In 1942 Yale published his revised dissertation as Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis and hired him as an assistant professor. At Yale from 1942 to 1961 and at Stanford University as Coe Professor of American History, 1961 to 1971, he directed numerous dissertations and served on various editorial and professional boardsh He edited the Yale Review from 1949 to 1951. As a visitor he held the Walgreen Lectureship at the University of Chicago, and the Commonwealth Fund Lectureship at the University of London. Potter was the Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University in 1947.[2]
Potter died of cancer at age 60. The New York Times obituary quoted an encomium of historian Martin Duberman: "David Potter may be the greatest living historian in the United States. To read him is to become aware of a truth that only the greatest historians have been able to show us: That the chief lesson to be derived from a study of the past is that it holds no simple lesson, and that the historian's main responsibility is to prevent anyone from claiming that it does.". Potter was President of the American Historical Association at the time of his death, as well as President of the Organization of American Historians.[6]
Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis (1942), with a new preface in 1962. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Published with a new introduction by Daniel W. Crofts. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1995. online
"American Women and the American Character" in American Character and Culture in a Changing World: Some Twentieth-Century Perspectives (Greenwood Press, 1979): 209–225.
Freedom and Its Limitations in American Life, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher, compiled by George Harmon Knoles, Stanford University Press, 1976.
History and American Society: Essays of David M. Potter, ed. by Don E. Fehrenbacher, Oxford University Press, 1973.
Division and the Stresses of Reunion, 1845-1876, Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1973.
The South and the Concurrent Majority, edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher and Carl N. Degler, Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1972.
The South and the Sectional Conflict, Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1968. Nominated for the National Book Award .[6]
(With Curtis R. Grant) Eight Issues in American History: Views and Counterviews, Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1966.
"The Historian's Use of Nationalism and Vice Versa," American Historical Review, Vol. 67, No. 4 (July 1962), pp. 924–950 in JSTOR
The Background of the Civil War, National Council for the Social Studies, 1961.
(With Manning) Nationalism and Sectionalism in America, 1775-1877, Holt, 1961.
(Editor, with William Goetzmann) The New Deal and Employment, Holt, 1960.
(Editor) E. David Cronon and Howard R. Lamar, The Railroads, Holt, 1960.
(Editor) Party Politics and Public Action, 1877-1917, Holt, 1960.
The American Round Table Discussions on People's Capitalism, 1957.
People of Plenty: Economic Abundance and the American Character, 1954.
(With Thomas G. Manning) Select Problems in Historical Interpretation, Holt, Volume I, 1949, Volume II, 1950.
"An Appraisal of Fifteen Years of the Journal of Southern History, 1935–1949," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Feb. 1950), pp. 25–32 in JSTOR
"The Historical Development of Eastern-Southern Freight Rate Relationships," Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Summer, 1947), pp. 416–448 in JSTOR
"Horace Greeley and Peaceable Secession," Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May 1941), pp. 145–159 in JSTOR
"Why the Republicans Rejected Both Compromise and Secession," in George Harmon Knoles, ed., The Crisis of the Union: 1860-1861, Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1965, pp. 90–106, Comment by Kenneth M. Stampp, pp. 107–113; reprinted in Wilentz, Sean, ed., The Best American History Essays on Lincoln, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. 175–188, without the comment by Stampp. Potter believed Republicans rejected both compromise and secession because they thought Southern Unionism would prevail. They did not believe that rejecting compromise and secession would lead to war. "Today, our hindsight makes it difficult for us to understand the reliance on Southern Unionism." (Knoles, 101).
Referencesedit
Notes
^Kammen, Michael (February 1996). "A Message of Hope". OAH Newsletter: 24.Leonard W. Labaree encouraged Potter to return to Yale, noting his "tendency toward being a 'perfectionist'".
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2015-07-08.
^"APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
^"David Morris Potter". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
^Collins, Robert M. (1988). "David Potter's People of Plenty and the Recycling of Consensus History". Reviews in American History. 16 (2): 321–335. doi:10.2307/2702542. JSTOR 2702542.
^ abcStaff (February 19, 1971)"David Potter, 60, Historian, Dies" The New York Times
^"David Morris Potter." in Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors (Gale, 2002) online
Further reading
Barney, William L. "Potter's The Impending Crisis: A Capstone and a Challenge." Reviews in American History 1976 4(4): 551–557. JSTOR
Collins, Robert M. "David Potter's People of Plenty and the Recycling of Consensus History," Reviews in American History 16 (June 1988): 321–335. in JSTOR
Fredrickson, George M. "Two Southern Historians." American Historical Review 1970 75(5): 1387–1392. in JSTOR. The two Southern historians of the title are Potter and Fletcher Melvin Green.
Gallagher, Gary W. "A Master's Lessons" Civil War Times (Feb 2020) 59#1, on Potter as teacher.
Johannsen, Robert W. "David Potter, Historian and Social Critic: a Review Essay." Civil War History 1974 20(1): 35–44. ISSN 0009-8078
Temperley, Howard. "David M. Potter", in Robert Allen Rutland, ed., Clio's Favorites: Leading Historians of the United States, 1945–2000, U of Missouri Press (2000), pp. 138–155.
Winter, Thomas. "Potter, David Morris"; American National Biography Online 2000.
david, potter, david, morris, potter, december, 1910, february, 1971, american, historian, specializing, study, coming, american, civil, especially, political, factors, best, known, book, impending, crisis, 1848, 1861, which, completed, edited, fehrenbacher, p. David Morris Potter December 6 1910 February 18 1971 was an American historian specializing in the study of the coming of the American Civil War especially the political factors His best known book is The Impending Crisis 1848 1861 which was completed and edited by Don E Fehrenbacher and published posthumously in 1976 Contents 1 Life and career 2 Works 3 References 4 External linksLife and career editPotter was born in Augusta Georgia graduated from the Academy of Richmond County and in 1932 graduated from Emory University Potter entered graduate school at Yale University the same year working with Ulrich Bonnell Phillips who died in 1934 before he started his dissertation He taught at the University of Mississippi for 1936 1938 then at the Rice Institute now Rice University in 1938 1940 He completed his dissertation in 1940 at Yale 1 In 1942 Yale published his revised dissertation as Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis and hired him as an assistant professor At Yale from 1942 to 1961 and at Stanford University as Coe Professor of American History 1961 to 1971 he directed numerous dissertations and served on various editorial and professional boardsh He edited the Yale Review from 1949 to 1951 As a visitor he held the Walgreen Lectureship at the University of Chicago and the Commonwealth Fund Lectureship at the University of London Potter was the Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University in 1947 2 Potter was an elected member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 3 4 He posthumously won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for History for The Impending Crisis 1848 1861 1976 an in depth narrative and analysis of the causes of the American Civil War His main achievement was to put the history of the South in a national perspective He rejected the conflict model of Charles A Beard and emphasized the depth of consensus on American values He considered himself a conservative and was a prominent exponent of Consensus history 5 He held honorary degrees from Oxford and the University of Wyoming 6 Potter died of cancer at age 60 The New York Times obituary quoted an encomium of historian Martin Duberman David Potter may be the greatest living historian in the United States To read him is to become aware of a truth that only the greatest historians have been able to show us That the chief lesson to be derived from a study of the past is that it holds no simple lesson and that the historian s main responsibility is to prevent anyone from claiming that it does Potter was President of the American Historical Association at the time of his death as well as President of the Organization of American Historians 6 Works editHis most important book completed and edited by Don E Fehrenbacher was The Impending Crisis 1848 1861 Harper amp Row 1976 online 7 Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis 1942 with a new preface in 1962 New Haven Connecticut Yale University Press Published with a new introduction by Daniel W Crofts Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press 1995 online American Women and the American Character in American Character and Culture in a Changing World Some Twentieth Century Perspectives Greenwood Press 1979 209 225 Freedom and Its Limitations in American Life edited by Don E Fehrenbacher compiled by George Harmon Knoles Stanford University Press 1976 History and American Society Essays of David M Potter ed by Don E Fehrenbacher Oxford University Press 1973 Division and the Stresses of Reunion 1845 1876 Glenview Ill Scott Foresman 1973 The South and the Concurrent Majority edited by Don E Fehrenbacher and Carl N Degler Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press 1972 The South and the Sectional Conflict Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press 1968 Nominated for the National Book Award 6 With Curtis R Grant Eight Issues in American History Views and Counterviews Glenview Ill Scott Foresman 1966 The Historian s Use of Nationalism and Vice Versa American Historical Review Vol 67 No 4 July 1962 pp 924 950 in JSTOR The Background of the Civil War National Council for the Social Studies 1961 With Manning Nationalism and Sectionalism in America 1775 1877 Holt 1961 Editor with William Goetzmann The New Deal and Employment Holt 1960 Editor E David Cronon and Howard R Lamar The Railroads Holt 1960 Editor Party Politics and Public Action 1877 1917 Holt 1960 The American Round Table Discussions on People s Capitalism 1957 People of Plenty Economic Abundance and the American Character 1954 With Thomas G Manning Select Problems in Historical Interpretation Holt Volume I 1949 Volume II 1950 An Appraisal of Fifteen Years of the Journal of Southern History 1935 1949 Journal of Southern History Vol 16 No 1 Feb 1950 pp 25 32 in JSTOR The Historical Development of Eastern Southern Freight Rate Relationships Law and Contemporary Problems Vol 12 No 3 Summer 1947 pp 416 448 in JSTOR Horace Greeley and Peaceable Secession Journal of Southern History Vol 7 No 2 May 1941 pp 145 159 in JSTOR Why the Republicans Rejected Both Compromise and Secession in George Harmon Knoles ed The Crisis of the Union 1860 1861 Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press 1965 pp 90 106 Comment by Kenneth M Stampp pp 107 113 reprinted in Wilentz Sean ed The Best American History Essays on Lincoln New York Palgrave Macmillan 2009 pp 175 188 without the comment by Stampp Potter believed Republicans rejected both compromise and secession because they thought Southern Unionism would prevail They did not believe that rejecting compromise and secession would lead to war Today our hindsight makes it difficult for us to understand the reliance on Southern Unionism Knoles 101 References editNotes Kammen Michael February 1996 A Message of Hope OAH Newsletter 24 Leonard W Labaree encouraged Potter to return to Yale noting his tendency toward being a perfectionist historicalsociety stanford edu PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2015 06 19 Retrieved 2015 07 08 APS Member History search amphilsoc org Retrieved 2022 10 05 David Morris Potter American Academy of Arts amp Sciences Retrieved 2022 10 05 Collins Robert M 1988 David Potter s People of Plenty and the Recycling of Consensus History Reviews in American History 16 2 321 335 doi 10 2307 2702542 JSTOR 2702542 a b c Staff February 19 1971 David Potter 60 Historian Dies The New York Times David Morris Potter in Gale Literature Contemporary Authors Gale 2002 online Further reading Barney William L Potter s The Impending Crisis A Capstone and a Challenge Reviews in American History 1976 4 4 551 557 JSTOR Brogan Denis David M Potter In Pastmasters Some Essays on American Historians edited by Marcus Cunliffe and Robin W Winks 1969 pp 316 44 Collins Robert M David Potter s People of Plenty and the Recycling of Consensus History Reviews in American History 16 June 1988 321 335 in JSTOR Fredrickson George M Two Southern Historians American Historical Review 1970 75 5 1387 1392 in JSTOR The two Southern historians of the title are Potter and Fletcher Melvin Green Gallagher Gary W A Master s Lessons Civil War Times Feb 2020 59 1 on Potter as teacher Johannsen Robert W David Potter Historian and Social Critic a Review Essay Civil War History 1974 20 1 35 44 ISSN 0009 8078 Temperley Howard David M Potter in Robert Allen Rutland ed Clio s Favorites Leading Historians of the United States 1945 2000 U of Missouri Press 2000 pp 138 155 Winter Thomas Potter David Morris American National Biography Online 2000 External links edithttp biography yourdictionary com david m potter Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title David M Potter amp oldid 1193775149, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
