C. Vann Woodward

C. Vann Woodward

Comer Vann Woodward (November 13, 1908 – December 17, 1999) was a preeminent American historian focusing primarily on the American South and race relations. He was considered, along with Richard Hofstadter and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., to be one of the most influential historians of the postwar era, 1940s-1970s, both by scholars and by the general public. He was long a supporter of the approach of Charles A. Beard, stressing the influence of unseen economic motivations in politics. Stylistically, he was a master of irony and counterpoint. Woodward was on the left end of the history profession in the 1930s. By the 1950s he was a leading liberal and supporter of civil rights. After attacks on him by the New Left in the late 1960s he moved to the right politically.

Read more about C. Vann Woodward:  Early Life and Education, Intellectual Influence, Professional Roles, Further Reading

Famous quotes containing the word woodward:

    What you don’t understand about this town is that they can fight about issues all they want, but they don’t really care about them. What they really care about is who they sit next to at dinner.
    Anonymous “Prominent Woman,” Washington, DC, socialite. As quoted in The Agenda, ch. 20, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, to Bob Woodward (1994)