"Historians in the Hot Seat"

In light of Lindsey's recent comments on Ellis, I thought this posting would be an appropriate way to keep the discussion alive. I have to credit our fellow contributor, Brian Tubbs, and his website The American Founding Blog for inspiring me to write this posting. On his blog you will find a recent posting on David McCullough, and the criticism surrounding his work. One of the sources that Brian mentions is a CBS News article entitled Historians Under Fire. The article makes the claim that several popular historians have, in recent years, come under fire for some of their questionable research methods. The article mentions some of the accusations of plagiarism facing the late Stephen Ambrose, most of which have been confirmed through a detailed inquiry into several of his books. There is also mention of McCullough's questionable research methods, especially in regards to his biographies on John Adams and Harry Truman. The Truman allegations are virtually undeniable, a reality that even McCullough has admitted to. McCullough has also recently admitted to taking sources and quotations for his John Adams book out of context.

Ambrose and McCullough are not the only historians to come under attack. In recent years, several news organizations have published allegations against a number of leading historians. As we have already discussed, historian Joseph Ellis has been a popular target in recent years. (read Lindsey's posting below for more on Ellis). Doris Kerns Goodwin, the highly acclaimed presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize winning author of No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the very popular Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, has faced some severe criticism for plagiarism that is virtually indisputable. Both the New York Times and The Weekly Standard broke the stories regarding Goodwin's plagiarism. They point out the fact that Goodwin’s book The Fitzgerald’s and the Kennedy’s is virtually a carbon copy of work done by authors Rose Kennedy, Hank Searl, and Lynne McTaggart. Peter King of the L.A. Times has also noted that Goodwin's Pulitzer Prize winning book No Ordinary Time consists of several pages that are a virtual copy of Joseph Lash’s Eleanor and Franklin and Hugh Gregory Gallagher’s FDR’s Splendid Deception. The plagiarism in Goodwin's works is so blatant that several newspapers have published her writings along side the stolen texts, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Goodwin copied from other sources (just so I don't get in trouble, you can click here and here for sources on Goodwin's plagiarism).

The History News Network has put together a list of historians in the "hot seat." Faced with the allegations of plagiarism, these historians face a difficult road in recovering their lost credibility. After all, plagiarism is to the writer, what steroids is to the athlete. Lesson to the wise: CITE YOUR SOURCES!!! It's really not that hard. Here is the link to the History News Network's article on plagiarism, and here is the link to the History News Network's list of "Historians in the Hot Seat."

A Historical Liar

I realize that the majority of our readers and contributors have a great deal of admiration for the work of historian Joseph Ellis, so this posting may be a bit disappointing. I have to admit that I was very upset to learn about Ellis's truth-telling problems.

The New York Times, along with several other news agencies, broke the news that Joseph Ellis outright lied about his involvement with the Vietnam War. As a result, Ellis was put on academic leave without pay for over a year. In their article The Lies of Joseph Ellis, the New York Times points out that Ellis made the claim that he was deeply involved in the Vietnam War, where he parachuted into the country, and was involved in many armed conflicts with the enemy. The truth, however, was that Ellis never even left the states during his time in the military. In fact, he was safe and sound in his snug little office at West Point, teaching American history to the cadets (a far cry from parachuting into enemy territory and exchanging bullets).

Historian Bonnie Goodman of the History News Network also wrote a piece on Ellis, entitled Has Scandal Taken Its Toll On Ellis? In her article, Goodwin suggests that Ellis lost an incredible amount of credibility within the historical community for his blatant falsehoods. After all, how can a historian be trusted with their work, when it is discovered that they blatantly lied to their students?

Ellis, whose lies became public in 2001, has noticed a dramatic drop in public support for his work. After his Pulitzer Prize winning book Founding Brothers was published in 2000, Ellis was riding on the clouds of the historical community. After his lies were discovered in 2001, however, Ellis has been engaged in a futile attempt to earn back the trust he lost from his comrades. His subsequent books, His Excellency and American Creation have received much less praise from the historical community. The general public, however, seems to be oblivious of Ellis's errors. For the most part, Ellis still remains one of the best selling history writers in America. The scholastic community obviously feels otherwise. Though he is likely to keep selling books to the general public, it is doubtful that Ellis will ever receive another major award due to this scandal.

A Trip Through Jamestown

I wanted to pass along some exciting information about the Virtual Jamestown project. Ever since its 400th anniversary celebration, interest in the first successful English colony has been growing by leaps and bounds. Thankfully, additional funding has helped to enhance the public's perception and interest in colonial America's historical roots.

One of the many projects to improve the public's knowledge of and interest in colonial America is the Virtual Jamestown Project. The initial 3-D experience (which is in its infancy) can be seen by clicking here. Enjoy a virtual tour of the Jamestown fortifications, not to mention a few of its surroundings. Again, this virtual tour is only a prototype of what is to come. The completed virtual Jamestown tour will be an intimate and in-depth view of the colony. But for now, take a look at the prototype. Also, check out the Virtual Jameston Project website for additional resources.