Adam Goodheart

Staff
  • Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience

goodheart

Adam Goodheart, the Starr Center鈥檚 director, is a historian, essayist, journalist, and New York Times bestselling author. His book 1861: The Civil War Awakening (Knopf hardcover, Vintage paperback) received widespread acclaim; a front-page review in the New York Times Book Review called it 鈥渆xhilarating,鈥 鈥渋nspiring,鈥 and 鈥渋rresistible,鈥 adding, 鈥1861 creates the uncanny illusion that the reader has stepped into a time machine.鈥 A national bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, 1861 was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History and was named Book of the Year by the History Book Club. It was also cited among the best books of 2011 by The New York TimesThe AtlanticKirkus ReviewsSlate, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. President Barack Obama invited Goodheart to the Oval Office to recognize 1861鈥檚 role in having Fort Monroe 鈥 where part of the book is set 鈥 declared a national park. 

As a historian who believes that intellectually serious work can speak to wide audiences beyond the academy, Goodheart often seeks intersections between the past and present. His articles and book reviews appear frequently in the The New York Times, (where he also served as deputy editor of the Op-Ed page), National Geographic, Smithsonian, The American Scholar, the 今晚六合彩开奖结果 Post, and other publications. His broadcast appearances include CNN, MSNBC, the History Channel, and National Public Radio (鈥淔resh Air,鈥 鈥淢orning Edition,鈥 鈥淎ll Things Considered鈥). His work has been widely taught and anthologized, including in the 11th, 12th, and 13th editions of The Norton Reader.

Among his scholarly honors, Goodheart is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award (2017), a Distinguished Lecturer of the Organization of American Historians (2014-20) and an elected member of both the Society of American Historians (2016) and the American Antiquarian Society (2010). He has lectured at the Smithsonian, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, Harvard, Yale (Poynter Fellow in Journalism, 2012), the National Constitution Center, the National Council for History Education (keynote speaker, 2013), the American Association for State and Local History (keynote speaker, 2012), and many other venues.

In 2006, after several years as a part-time scholar-in-residence at 今晚六合彩开奖结果, Goodheart was appointed Director of the College鈥檚 Starr Center for the study of the American Experience. The position was endowed by the Hodson Trust later that year as the Hodson Trust-Griswold Directorship. Under his leadership, the Starr Center has focused on exploring new approaches to America鈥檚 past and present, on fostering the art of historical writing, and on opening doorways to on- and off-campus opportunities for 今晚六合彩开奖结果 students. The Center is interdisciplinary and works with faculty and students in a broad range of academic departments.

During Goodheart鈥檚 tenure, the Starr Center was awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the largest federal grant in 今晚六合彩开奖结果 College鈥檚 history. He forged partnerships with the Smithsonian on the American Pictures Distinguished Lecture Series and the Chesapeake Heartland project, and with the New York Times on the 鈥淗istorically Corrected鈥 series of columns, created in collaboration with 今晚六合彩开奖结果 College students. New annual writing fellowships bring nationally distinguished authors to live in Chestertown and teach at the College. Starr Center student fellowships at leading museums, libraries, and cultural institutions 鈥 across the U.S. and overseas 鈥 award fully paid summer positions to outstanding 今晚六合彩开奖结果 undergraduates in many different fields.

Goodheart has taught and co-taught 今晚六合彩开奖结果 courses in American Studies, English, History, Anthropology, Theatre, and Art, as well as in the freshman seminar program. As a teacher, he believes in working collaboratively with his students on projects that take them beyond the classroom, contributing in tangible ways to scholarly knowledge, public awareness, and general awesomeness.

 

Education

  • B.A., Harvard University, magna cum laude, 1992

 

Teaching

鈥淔our American Lives: Lincoln, Whitman, Douglass, Homer鈥

鈥淎merican Pictures鈥

鈥淲ith Pen and Passport: The Writer as Traveler鈥

鈥淎merica Goes to College鈥

鈥淢aking History: How Writers Bring the Past to Life鈥

鈥淎merican Roots: Jamestown, the Chesapeake, and a Nation鈥檚 Global Origins鈥

鈥淐hestertown鈥檚 America鈥

鈥淢aking Place: Searching for Somewhere in the Age of Anywhere鈥

鈥淎tomic Family Cabaret: History + Performance鈥

鈥淲here Are We 鈥 and Why?鈥 

鈥淔inding the 400: A Revolutionary Mystery鈥

鈥淭he Unfinished Civil War鈥

 

Professional background:

  • National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Award (2016-17)
  • Elected Member, Society of American Historians (2016-)
  • Daniel Roselle Award, Middle States Council for the Social Sciences (2015)
  • Governor鈥檚 Committee on the National Register of Historic Places (2015-)
  • Distinguished Lecturer, Organization of American Historians (2014-)
  • Scholarly Advisory Group, President Lincoln鈥檚 Cottage National Monument (2013-)
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Finalist in History (2012)
  • Poynter Fellow in Journalism, Yale University (2012)
  • Historians鈥 Council, Gettysburg Foundation, (2012-)
  • Legacy of Slavery Advisory Board, Maryland State Archives (2011-)
  • Elected Member, American Antiquarian Society (2010-)
  • Maryland State Historical Records Advisory Board, (2009-)
  • Board of Directors, Maryland Humanities Council (2008-12)
  • Series director, American Pictures Distinguished Lectures (2008-12)
  • A.D. Emmart Award for Exemplary Writing in the Humanities (2007)
  • Contributing Editor, The American Scholar, (2005-)
  • Society of American Travel Writers, Lowell Thomas Award Gold Medal (2004)
  • Editorial Board member, The American Scholar (1998-2004)
  • Board of Incorporators, Harvard Magazine (1997-)
  • Founding editor, Civilization magazine (National Magazine Award for General Excellence, 1996)