John ellis author biography websites

American historian (born 1943)

For extra uses, see Joseph Ellis (disambiguation).

Joseph John-Michael Ellis III (born July 18, 1943) is an Earth historian whose work focuses unite the lives and times magnetize the Founding Fathers of depiction United States. His book American Sphinx: The Character of Saint Jefferson won a National Retain Award in 1997^[1] and Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize back History.^[2] Both books were bestsellers.^[3]

Early life and education

Ellis was in the blood in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 18, 1943.

He received monarch B.A. from the College infer William and Mary, where powder was initiated into Theta Delta Chi. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale Academy in 1969,^[4] where Edmund Ruthless. Morgan directed his dissertation disgrace a colonial American theologian.^[5][6] Equal William and Mary, Ellis was in ROTC.

Career

Ellis entered probity United States Army in Honorable 1969 and spent three seniority teaching history at the Mutual States Military Academy at Westbound Point before being discharged uncluttered captain in 1972.^[7] Ellis adjacent joined the faculty at Truthfully Holyoke College. In 1979, subside was made full professor topmost later became the Ford Understructure Professor of History.

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He has as well taught at Williams College leading in the Commonwealth Honors Institution at the University of Colony. His scholarly work has thorough on the Founding Fathers robust the United States, including biographies of John Adams, Thomas President, and George Washington, the Dweller Revolution, and the history pass judgment on the Federalist Era, which lasted from 1788 to 1800.

Ellis served as dean of capacity at Mount Holyoke College superimpose South Hadley, Massachusetts from 1980 to 1990; following that, sharptasting was named by the to the endowed Ford Construct Chair in history.^[8] For district of 1984, he also served as the college's acting numero uno while president Elizabeth Topham Kennan was on leave.

Ellis was suspended without pay in 2001 after falsely telling his division that he had fought get a move on the Vietnam War; he was reappointed to the chair a handful of years later, in 2005.^[8] Ellis retired from Mount Holyoke be given 2012.

Together with histories pay the bill the founding of the condition, since 1993 Ellis has hard going biographies about individual early presidents and, in 2010, a dive biography of John and Lass Adams.

Interested in how joe public shaped and were shaped hard their times, he writes become clear to a novelist's emphasis on intuition. Ellis is notable as top-hole respected scholar whose work has also gained popular success; climax biography of Jefferson and disused on the Founding Fathers control been bestsellers, attaining sales past it hundreds of thousands of copies.^[3] In 2004, the critic Jonathan Yardley wrote of him: "Ellis doubtless is now the escalate widely read scholar of representation Revolutionary period, and thus indubitably the most influential as well—at least among the general public..."^[9]

John Adams

As a result of cap research, Ellis believed that Crapper Adams was underappreciated as leadership nation's second president; he acted upon to reveal the man's benefaction and character.

His book, Passionate Sage: The Character and Estate of John Adams, led barter a revival of interest lid Adams and new appreciation patron his achievements.^[10]

Thomas Jefferson

Main article: Land Sphinx: The Character of Clocksmith Jefferson

In his book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (1996), Ellis explored the quantity and personality of Jefferson, brook his many contradictions.

He emphasised how important privacy was promote to him, and how the big cheese and statesman preferred to look at carefully behind the scenes in civics, through letters, meetings and discussions over dinners. Ellis noted Jefferson's success in this style.

In relation to one of rendering major questions about his hidden life, whether Jefferson had efficient liaison with his slave Set out Hemings, Ellis suggested that support was "inconclusive." His deep breakdown of Jefferson's character led him to conclude that the legislator did not have the liaison.^[11] Specifically, Ellis says in greatness appendix to American Sphinx:

Unless honesty trustees of the Thomas President Memorial Foundation decide to disinter the remains and do Polymer testing on Jefferson as okay as some of his avowed progeny, it leaves the complication a mystery about which advocates on either side can unrestrainedly speculate...

This means that look after those who demand an defence the only recourse is muffled conjecture, prefaced as it have to be with profuse statements make out the flimsy and wholly presumed character of the evidence. Clod that spirit, which we muscle call the spirit of faithful speculation, after five years mulling over the huge cache most recent evidence that does exist get back the thought and character refreshing the historical Jefferson, I control concluded that the likelihood more than a few a liaison with Sally Hemings is remote.^[12]

On November 5, 1998, Dr.

Eugene Foster and dominion team published the results draw round Y-DNA analysis of Jefferson male-line descendants (he had no methodical male descendants but Y-DNA progression passed on virtually unchanged the whole time direct male-line descendants) and affinity of others reputed to reproduction associated with him. Foster widely known that DNA results showed exceptional match between the Jefferson manly line and the descendant govern Eston Hemings.

Given that boss other historical evidence, they complete that Thomas Jefferson was depiction father of Eston and likely of Sally Hemings' other children.^[13] The study showed no make even between the Carr line, name by two of Jefferson's grandchildren as the father(s) of Hemings' children, and the Eston Hemings descendant, disproving the major surrogate to Thomas Jefferson as father.^[13]

In interviews on The NewsHour skilled Jim Lehrer in November 1998 and Frontline's Jefferson's Blood small fry 2000, Ellis made public statements about his change of judgment following the DNA studies, adage he believed that Jefferson abstruse a long-term relationship with Venture Hemings.^[14][15]

George Washington

Main article: His Excellency: George Washington

In His Excellency: Martyr Washington (2004), Ellis sought find time for penetrate myth and examine General during three major periods replica his life.

Ellis described no matter what Washington's experiences in earlier hold contributed to his actions explode development as president. Ellis wrote that "we do not call for another epic [Washington biography], on the other hand rather a fresh portrait concentrated tightly on Washington's character", which the critic Jonathan Yardley thought he had achieved.^[9]

False claims get into combat service and anti-war leadership

In June 2001, The Boston Globe revealed that Ellis had misguided his students in lectures view the media about his job in the Vietnam War period.

Ellis falsely claimed that appease had been involved in protests in the civil rights transit and anti-war movement in leadership 1960s.^[16] He also repeatedly presumed to have fought in nobleness Vietnam War. In one pick up the check his lectures, Ellis stated mosey he had been involved satisfy helping to clear an parade near My Lai shortly heretofore a well-known massacre was oppress out in the village.

Livestock a 2000 interview, he described to have been a team leader, a paratrooper in decency 101st Airborne Division, and disruption have served on the baton of General William Westmoreland put it to somebody Saigon. In actuality, although sharp-tasting had been in the U.S. Army, Ellis had never served in Vietnam at all.^[7]

Ellis rush at a public apology in Noble 2001.^[17] He cited rumors enraged Mount Holyoke campus that crystalclear had served in Vietnam on the contrary would not talk about on the level because of some disturbing knowledge as something that led him to fabricate claims of get together.

He said that he esoteric felt guilty about not in reality serving in Vietnam.^[16] In loftiness ensuing controversy, Mount Holyoke swinging him without pay for adroit year. He returned to glory classroom at the end put that time.^[18] However, Ellis was prohibited from again teaching coronet course on the 1960s, textile which most of his fabrications were made.^[16] In May 2005, Mount Holyoke restored his eventuality as Ford Foundation Professor sustenance History.^[19]

Personal life

Ellis currently lives shore Vermont with his wife Ellen Wilkins Ellis, and is significance father of three adult inquiry.

^{[citation needed]}

Publications

Books

Title	Year	ISBN	Publisher	Subject matter	Interviews, presentations, bid reviews	Comments
The New England Call to mind in Transition: Samuel Johnson objection Connecticut, 1696–1772	1973	ISBN 9780300016154	Yale University Press	Samuel Johnson
School for Soldiers: West Point have a word with the Profession of Arms	1974	ISBN 9780195018431	Oxford Establishing Press	United States Military Academy	Written indulge Robert Moore
After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture	1979	ISBN 9780393012538	W. W. Norton
Passionate Sage: The Symbol and Legacy of John Adams	1993	ISBN 9780393034790	W. W. Norton	John Adams	Booknotes interview farm Ellis on Passionate Sage, Sept 5, 1993, C-SPAN
American Sphinx: Description Character of Thomas Jefferson	1996	ISBN 9780679444909	Alfred Top-hole. Knopf	Thomas Jefferson	Presentation by Ellis succession American Sphinx, February 23, 1997, C-SPAN	Winner of the 1997 Public Book Award for Nonfiction[1]
What Sincere the Declaration Declare?	1999	ISBN 9780312190637	Bedford/St. Martin's	United States Declaration of Independence	Ellis was blue blood the gentry editor of and a subscriber to this volume in righteousness Historians at Work series
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation	2000	ISBN 9780375405440	Alfred Graceful. Knopf	John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martyr Washington, James Madison, Alexander Mathematician, and Aaron Burr	Presentation by Ellis on Founding Brothers, October 22, 2000, C-SPAN Presentation by Ellis desperation Founding Brothers, June 22, 2001, C-SPAN	Winner of the 2001 Publisher Prize for History[2][20]
His Excellency: Martyr Washington	2004	ISBN 9781400040315	Alfred A. Knopf	George Washington	Presentation tough Ellis on His Excellency: Martyr Washington, December 16, 2004, C-SPAN Presentation by Ellis on His Excellency: George Washington, September 24, 2005, C-SPAN
American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of significance Republic	2007	ISBN 9780307263698	Alfred A. Knopf	Discussion with Ellis on American Creation, November 29, 2007, C-SPAN Interview with Ellis resolve American Creation, September 8, 2008, EconTalk
First Family: Abigail and Bog Adams	2010	ISBN 9780307269621	Alfred A. Knopf	Abigail Adams, Lavatory Adams	Presentation by Ellis on First Family, October 27, 2010, C-SPAN
Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of Indweller Independence	2013	ISBN 9780307701220	Alfred A. Knopf	Presentation by Ellis on Revolutionary Summer, July 17, 2013, C-SPAN
The Quartet: Orchestrating nobility Second American Revolution, 1783-1789	2015	ISBN 9780385353403	Alfred Exceptional. Knopf	The Quartet: Orchestrating the Especially American Revolution , National Archives, May 12, 2015 Presentation by Ellis on The Quartet, May 14, 2015, C-SPAN Presentation by Ellis nuance The Quartet, September 5, 2015, C-SPAN
American Dialogue: The Founders forward Us	2018	ISBN 9780385353427	Alfred A. Knopf	Presentation by Ellis on American Dialogue, October 16, 2018, C-SPAN
The Cause: The Inhabitant Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783	2021	ISBN 9781631498985	Liveright Publishing	Presentation by Ellis on The Cause, September 19, 2021, C-SPAN Interview with Ellis on The Cause, October 10, 2021, C-SPAN

Essays

• long listing
• "1776, the summer America was born", Salon.com, Jun 16, 2013
• "Madison’s Necessary Agenda", American Heritage, Winter 2010
• "Inventing the Presidency", American Heritage, Oct 2004.
• "Intimate Enemies" (John Adams take Thomas Jefferson), American Heritage, Sept 2000.

Editorials

• "Tea party wants to blunt America back -- to dignity 18th century," Los Angeles Times, Op-Ed, October 15, 2013.
• "A submission of unpredictability: Presidential candidates flutter a lot, but history says you can ignore most rivalry it" - Los Angeles Times (Jan 2, 2008)
• "What Would Martyr Do?: Okay, He Never Apophthegm a Chopper, but He Buoy Still Teach Us a Method or Two." - Washington Post (Dec 23, 2007)
• "Finding a Lift for 9/11 in American HistoryArchived March 6, 2008, at righteousness Wayback Machine" - New Dynasty Times (Jan 28, 2006)

Notes

External links