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The Legacy of Europe in American Progressive Historiography

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The Legacy of Europe in American Progressive Historiography THE LEGACY OF EUROPE IN AMERICAN PROGRESSIVE HISTORIOGRAPHY THE TRANSATLANTIC PERSUASION OF FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER AND CHARLES AUSTIN BEARD MICHAIL ZONTOS ISBN: 978-94-6103-074-0 The dissertation was funded with a scholarship granted by the Scholarships Foundation of Greece (IKY) and supported by the Research Institute for History and Art History (Utrecht University). Edited by Christien Franken. Cover design: Chrysa Papasarantou. THE LEGACY OF EUROPE IN AMERICAN PROGRESSIVE HISTORIOGRAPHY: THE TRANSATLANTIC PERSUASION OF FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER AND CHARLES AUSTIN BEARD De rol van Europa in de Amerikaanse historiografie van de Progressive Era: Het trans- Atlantische gedachtengoed van Frederick Jackson Turner en Charles Austin Beard (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof dr. H.R.B.M. Kummeling, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op vrijdag 15 maart 2019 des middags te 12.45 uur door Michail Zontos geboren op 22 februari 1984 te Athene, Griekenland Promotor: Prof. dr. J. van Eijnatten Copromotor: Dr. J. Verheul Dit proefschrift werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door financiële steun van de State Scholarships Foundation of Greece (IKY). Leescommisie: Prof.dr. Nolan Prof.dr Bosscher Prof.dr. Oldenziel Prof.dr. Scott-Smith Prof.dr. Dorsman Paranymfen: Hilbert Lootsma Elisa Pallottini TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION: PROGRESSIVE PERCEPTIONS OF EUROPE ..................................................................... 9 SECTION 1: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EUROPE IN TURNER’S HISTORY .................................................... 29 Chapter 1: Formative Years ....................................................................................... 41 Early Life and Education ....................................................................................... 43 University of Wisconsin, Madison ............................................................................. 48 Under the Influence of William Francis Allen ................................................................ 51 The Old World in New Histories ............................................................................... 60 The Teutonism of Herbert Baxter Adams ...................................................................... 64 The Turnerian Paradox ......................................................................................... 75 Trading Posts as Agents of Continuity ......................................................................... 81 History and the Call for Continuity ............................................................................ 82 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 2: The Europeanness of the Frontier Thesis ............................................................ 91 Frontier and the Old World .................................................................................... 93 New Destinies ................................................................................................... 98 Frontier Nationalism and American Empire ................................................................ 104 Evolutionism .................................................................................................. 112 In an Evolutionist Environment .............................................................................. 122 In the European Mold ........................................................................................ 132 An Apology for Empire ....................................................................................... 140 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 143 Chapter 3: The United States Returns to the Old World ....................................................... 144 Sectionalism ................................................................................................... 146 American Sections as European Nations .................................................................... 151 The League of Sections ....................................................................................... 160 Facing the War................................................................................................ 163 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 170 SECTION 2: THE EUROPEAN EXPLANATION OF CHARLES A. BEARD ................................................. 173 European Schooling .......................................................................................... 187 Germ Theory and Marxism ................................................................................... 190 The Framework of the Industrial Revolution ................................................................ 205 Lessons from England and New History ..................................................................... 212 Rethinking the Development of Modern Europe ............................................................ 220 The United States as a Reference Culture ................................................................... 231 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 235 Chapter 5: Synthesizing Civilizations .......................................................................... 237 A Transatlantic Interpretation of American History ........................................................ 238 Intellectual Influences of Europe ............................................................................ 242 The New School ............................................................................................... 250 From the European Past to an American Future ........................................................... 253 Old World Backgrounds ...................................................................................... 259 America as European Destiny ................................................................................ 265 Receptive Cosmopolitanism .................................................................................. 274 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 277 Chapter 6: American Civilization: Unique and Connected .................................................... 279 Nationalism and Imperialism ................................................................................ 280 The Transatlantic Foundations of American Civilization .................................................. 284 Cultural Connections ......................................................................................... 293 Dialogues with Frederick Jackson Turner .................................................................. 303 Becoming a Global Civilization .............................................................................. 306 Christian Continuities ........................................................................................ 314 Final Years: Re-Building the City Upon A Hill ............................................................. 322 Dealing with Europe .......................................................................................... 328 Evaluating the American Spirit .............................................................................. 333 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 348 Conclusion: Rising from Europe ................................................................................ 349 CONCLUSION: THE TRANSATLANTIC PERSUASION OF TURNER AND BEARD ..................................... 352 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 359 SUMMARY IN DUTCH ........................................................................................................................ 377 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................................................... 381 ABOUT THE AUTHOR ......................................................................................................................... 383 INTRODUCTION: PROGRESSIVE PERCEPTIONS OF EUROPE Toward a Global Perspective on Progressive Historiography This is a study about perceptions. It analyzes the complex ways in which two of the most influential American historians of the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) perceived the Old World. Frederick Jackson Turner and Charles Austin Beard are still considered icons of the American historical guild. Their work greatly influenced the ways in which Americans perceived their country during the first half of the twentieth century. The impact of their theories and historiographical innovations is still felt today by everyone interested in the field. Turner’s frontier thesis of American development and Beard’s economic interpretation of the Constitution of the United States remain classic topics in American historiography. Yet, their work, like Progressive historiography in general, has largely been understood within an exclusive American context. The work of Turner and Beard has been linked to notions of American cultural preponderance, exceptionalism,
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