The Conference on ^American History

HE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA called a confer- ence, January 22 and 23, 1948, to which forty-two scholars Twere invited to discuss the question, "Do We Need a 'New History' of American Political Democracy?" The conference was organized into three closed sessions and a public meeting. The first session was called to order at two o'clock in the afternoon of the first day by its chairman, Roy F. Nichols. R. Norris Williams, 2d, director of The Historical Society, wel- comed the conferees after which they were introduced to each other by the chairman. Pendleton Herring of the Carnegie Corporation of New York read a paper entitled "A Political Scientist Considers the Question," which was followed by general discussion. The open meeting held in the evening, presided over by Judge Edwin O. Lewis, vice-president of The Historical Society, was addressed by Henry F. Pringle on "The Problems of Writing Twentieth Century American Political History." His speech was followed by general discussion from the floor. The Friday sessions were presided over by Conyers Read and Richard H. Shryock, and were addressed by Louis M. Hacker of Columbia, who spoke on "Politics and Economics in History," and by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., of Harvard, who discussed "The Need for a Cultural Comprehension of Political Behavior." These sessions like those of the previous day were marked by lively discus- sions very generally participated in. The conferees were supplied in advance with the papers read in the closed sessions and with a series of agenda for the discussions. These papers, the agenda, and a resume of the discussions follow. The answer to the general question put to the conferees is found in the opening editorial statement. Those who attended the meetings were: JAMES A. BARNES Temple University CATHERINE DRINKER BOWEN Bryn Mawr JULIAN P. BOYD Princeton University 116 Friday Afternoon Session of the Conference PENDLETON HERRING, Speaker Roy F. NICHOLS, Chairman

1948 THE CONFERENCE ON AMERICAN HISTORY II7

CARL BRIDENBAUGH Williamsburg, Virginia DORA MAE CLARK Wilson College ARTHUR C. COLE Brooklyn College CHESTER M. DESTLER Connecticut College THOMAS E. DRAKE Haverford College LAWRENCE HENRY GIPSON Lehigh University DOROTHY BURNE GOEBEL Hunter College Louis M. HACKER Columbia University PENDLETON HERRING Carnegie Corporation of New York RUTH L. HIGGINS Beaver College E. P. HUTCHINSON University of Pennsylvania ALFRED P. JAMES University of Pittsburgh MERRILL JENSEN University of Wisconsin PHILIP S. KLEIN The Pennsylvania State College IRVING S. KULL Rutgers University FOLA LAFOLLETTE Arlington, Virginia W. E. LINGELBACH American Philosophical Society ARTHUR S. LINK Princeton University RICHARD P. MCCORMICK Rutgers University JOSEPH D. MCGOLDRICK New York City CHARLES H. MCILWAIN Princeton University JOHN C. MILLER Bryn Mawr College RICHMOND P. MILLER Society of Friends JOHN D. MILLETT Columbia University JOHN A. MUNROE University of Delaware ALLAN NEVINS Columbia University JEANNETTE P. NICHOLS Swarthmore ROY F. NICHOLS University of Pennsylvania JOHN H. POWELL Free Library of Philadelphia HENRY F. PRINGLE Washington, D. C. CONYERS READ University of Pennsylvania ARTHUR M. SCHLESINGER, JR Harvard University RICHARD H. SHRYOCK University of Pennsylvania S. K. STEVENS State Historian of Pennsylvania CHARLES S. SYDNOR Duke University FREDERICK B. TOLLES Swarthmore College GLYNDON G. VAN DEUSEN University of Rochester C. VANN WOODWARD The Johns Hopkins University