Pulitzer Prize Biography Winner
George Bancroft: Brahmin Rebel
by Russel Blaine Nye
Summary
Russel Blaine Nye presents George Bancroft, the historian and statesman often called the father of American history writing. The book follows Bancroft from his Massachusetts upbringing into politics and diplomacy, including his service as secretary of the navy and minister abroad, all while he composed his sweeping history of the United States. Nye portrays a man who broke from his patrician background to embrace Jacksonian democracy.
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Historical Context & Significance
Bancroft wrote a monumental multivolume History of the United States and helped found the United States Naval Academy during his time as secretary of the navy.