Eric Foner
Eric Foner is a prominent American historian known for his extensive research and writings on Civil War-era history, Reconstruction, and the broader themes of American freedom. Born in 1943 in New York City, Foner pursued higher education at Columbia University and Oxford University, ultimately earning his PhD in history. He has held various academic positions, notably at Columbia University, where he became the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History. Foner's influential books include "Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877," which won him significant accolades, including the Bancroft Prize, and "The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery," which garnered him a Pulitzer Prize.
Throughout his career, Foner has been an active contributor to the field of American history, editing numerous works and publishing a range of titles that explore the complexities of American identity and freedom. He has received various honors, including fellowships and awards recognizing his contributions to historical scholarship. Additionally, he has served in leadership roles within major historical organizations, promoting public understanding of history. Foner's ongoing efforts in academia and publication continue to shape discussions around American history, particularly regarding issues of race, freedom, and constitutional development.
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Subject Terms
Eric Foner
- Born: February 7, 1943
- Place of Birth: New York, New York
Biography
Eric Foner, the son of a professor, was born in 1943 in New York City and raised in that city. He attended Columbia University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1963. He earned an additional degree from Oxford University in 1965 and was awarded his PhD from Columbia University in 1969. Foner married Naomi Achs, a producer for the Children’s Television Workshop, in 1965.
After earning his PhD, Foner was an assistant professor of history at Columbia University, a position he held for three years. In 1973, Foner became an associate professor of history at the City College of the City University of New York. He divorced his wife, Naomi, in 1977 and married writer Lynn Garafola in 1980. In 1982, Foner returned to Columbia University to teach history, and in 1988 he become the DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University.
Foner has published numerous books about American history, beginning with his first book, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War, published in 1970. One of his most acclaimed books is Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 (1988), which took Foner nine years to research and write but won him Columbia University's Bancroft Prize in history. Another of his notable books is The Story of American Freedom, published in 1998, which traces the ideology of American freedom throughout the country’s history. Foner also has edited books about various aspects of American history, including America’s Black Past: A Reader in Afro-American History (1971), The New American History (1990), and Thomas Paine: Collected Writings (1995).
In the twenty-first century, Foner continued to write while teaching at Columbia University. In addition to a survey of American history, Give Me Liberty!: An American History (2004), which was published in several editions, he also published more works focusing on the Civil War era and Reconstruction, including Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction (2005) and Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World (2008). His next book on Abraham Lincoln and the institution of slavery, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (2010), earned him the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in history as well as his second Bancroft Prize. After publishing Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad in 2015, he wrote and published Battles for Freedom: The Use and Abuse of American History in 2017.
Foner is the recipient of many honors, awards, and fellowships, including a Guggenheim fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for history, the New York Public Library’s Literary Lion prize, and the New York Historical Society's American History Book Prize. In 1995, he was named Scholar of the Year by the New York Council for the Humanities. At various times, he has served as the president of the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Society of American Historians. In 2019, he published The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution. Over the years, he has also published a number of articles, including several reviews of the work of other historians.
Foner was the recipient of the 2020 Organization of American Historians Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award, given annually to someone who has enhanced public understanding of American history.
Bibliography
Eric Foner, www.ericfoner.com/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
Foner, Eric. "'The Face of Racism Today Is Not a Slaveowner': Eric Foner on the Past and Present of White Supremacy." Interview by Elias Isquith. Salon, 24 June 2015, www.salon.com/2015/06/24/the‗face‗of‗racism‗today‗is‗not‗a‗slaveowner‗eric‗foner‗on‗the‗past‗and‗present‗of‗white‗supremacy/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
Foner, Eric. "How Radical Change Occurs: An Interview with Historian Eric Foner." Interview by Mike Konczal. The Nation, 3 Feb. 2015, www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-radical-change-occurs-interview-historian-eric-foner/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2017.
Foner, Eric. "Why Reconstruction Matters." The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/opinion/sunday/why-reconstruction-matters.html. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
Raskin, Jonah. "Historian Eric Foner Wins Prestigious New York Historical Society Award." HuffPost, 16 Feb. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/jonah-raskin/historian-eric-foner-wins‗b‗9234002.html. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.
"Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award." Organization of American Historians, www.oah.org/awards/professional-excellence-and-service-awards/roy-rosenzweig-distinguished-service-award/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.