ANNUAL REPORT 1983 ANNUAL REPORT 1983 American Historical Association -,~ t .J ANNUAL REPORT. 1983 '/'J ; ~ \ ." dt_ ;, \ t, i I l fj it i ,~'1 :l .' \fI ,!) "'J l ~ ;f "1>-< l ~~ I SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS 1 City of Washington J ~ Contents Letters of Submittal and Transmittal. .. v f Act of Incorporation. .. vii Background . .. I Constitution and Bylaws .................................. 5 f Officers, Council, Nominating Committee, Committee on Committees, and Board of Trustees for 1984. .. 17 r Officer's Reports I Presidential Address. .. 19 I Vice-Presidents: Professional Division . .. 29 Research Division. .. 33 f Teaching Division. .. 37 Executive Director ... ; ................................ 41 \. Editor ............................................... 51 I Controller .. , . .. 55 I Membership Statistics ................................... 74 Minutes of the Council Meeting. .. 85 Minutes of the Ninety-eighth Business Meeting . .. 98 r Committee Reports. • . .. 100 I Prizes and Awards ..................................... 121 I Report of the Pacific Coast Branch of the { American Historical Association. .. 125 Report of the Program Chair ..... .. 131 I Program of the Ninety-eighth Annual Meeting. .. 141 ~ I I ( 1 t iii Ii Letters of Submittal and Transmittal Ir June 15, 1984 I To the Congress of the United States: ( In accordance with the act of incorporation of the American Historical Association, approved January 4, 1889, I have the honor of submitting I to Congress the Annual Report of the Association for the year 1983. Respectfully I S. Dillon Ripley, Secretary SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION l WASHINGT.ON. D.C. June 15, 1984 I To the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution: { As provided by law, I submit to you herewith the report of the American I Historical Association, comprising the proceedings of the Association and the report of its Pacific Coast Branch for 1983. ( This volume constitutes the Association's report on the condition of historical study in the United States. Samuel R. Gammon, Executive Director AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION I~ WASHINGTON, D.C. I, ! t [ ), 1 } t J ( v r ( Act of Incorporation .:.. l f ( I ( Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Andrew D. White, 9f Ithaca, in the State of New York; George Bancroft, of f Washington, in the District of Columbia; Justin Winsor, of Cambridge, in the State of Massachusetts; William F. Poole, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois; Herbert B. Adams, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland; r~ Clarence W. Bowen, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, their associates and successors, are hereby created, in the District of Colum­ I bia, a body corporate and politic by the name of the American Historical Association, for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical manuscripts, and for kindred pqrposes in the interest of American history, and of history in America. Said Association is authorized to hold real and personal estate in the District of Columbia as far as may be necessary to its lawful ends, to adopt a constitution, and r make bylaws not inconsistent with law. Said Association shall have its principal office at Washington, in the District of Columbia, and may \ hold its annual meetings in such places as the said incorporators shall determine. Said Association shall report annually to the Secretary of the ( Smithsonian Institution, concerning its proceedings and the condition of historical study in America. Said Secretary shall communicate to Con­ i gress the whole of such report, or such portions thereof as he shall see fit. { The Regents of the Smithsonian Institution are authorized to permit said Association to deposit its collections, manuscripts, books, pamphlets, and other material for history in the Smithsonian Institution or in the r National Museum, at their discretion, upon such conditions and under I such rules as they shall prescribe. I The real property situated in Square 817, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, described as lot 23, owned, occupied, and used by the Anierican Historical Association, is exempt froni all taxation so long ! as the same is so owned and occupied, and not used for c'ommercial ," j' f V11 [ purposes, subject to the provisions of sections 2, 3, and 5 of the Act entitled, "An Act to define the real property exempt from taxation in the District of Columbia," approved December 24, 1942. [Approved, January 4, 1889, and amended July 3, 1957.] V1ll Background f I, f( ( The American Historical Association is a nonprofit membership corpo­ ration founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the ( promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of histor­ f ical manuscripts, and the dissemination of the fruits of historical research.· The association holds an annual meeting on December 28-:JO of each year, at which there are more than one hundred sessions on a wide range of topics including scholarly research, approaches to teaching, and pro­ fessional concerns.· Approximately two dozen affiliated societies meet I jointly with the AHA. Membership in the association brings with it the American Historical Review, AHA Perspectives, the Program of the annual meeting, and, l,I f upon request, the Annual Report, as well as the right to vote for l nominees for AHA offices. The annual membership fee is based on a I graduated scale according to income;joint and life memberships are also I, available. I The association's capital funds are managed by a board of trustees, but f much of the income from these funds is allocated to special purposes. For f , its broader educational activities, the association has to depend chiefly "( upon its membership dues. I. PUBLICATIONS ,1 The American Historical Review, published five times a year, is the \ major historicaljournal in the United States. It includes scholarly articles and critical reviews in all fields of history. AHA Perspectives, published J nine times a year, is the association's monthly newsletter. It contains articles and announcements of general interest to the profession, EIB classified advertising, and news of AHA activities. 1, I PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 1 In February 1974 the membership ratified a new constitution, thereby ~i ~L creating three divisional committees-research, teaching, the pro- ~. I{ f A¥ERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION fession-which appropriately reflect the most significant concerns and activities of the association. Research. The association's long-standing interest in promoting histor­ ical scholarship continues. The AHR and the annual meeting provide forums for significant research in all fields of history. Through the Research Division the AHA also keeps a close watch on governmental policies affecting the ability of scholars to pursue research. The associa­ tion is frequently called upon to represent the views of the profession on legislation relating to freedom of information, declassification, and the right to privacy. With the revival of the Writings on American History, the association offers the most comprehensive and current bibliography of article-length literature available. A multivolume publication of article-length litera­ ture published during the gap between the old Writings and the new series has now been published. The AHA maintains a registry of dissertation topics in history and every six months publishes a list of doctoral dissertations either in progress or completed at American universities. Teaching. The new constitution mandates that the Teaching Division "collect and disseminate information about the training of teachers and about instructional techniques and materials and ... encourage excel­ lence in the teaching of history in the schools, colleges, and universities." Among other efforts advancing this objective, the association spopsors a series of regional teaching conferences across the' country that bring together historians from all levels of education. The AHA has become particularly active in the promotion of the teaching of women's history in secondary schools. Other projects relevant to teachers of history are in various stages of development. The association publishes a series of pamphlets to serve as aids to teachers and students of history. These pamphlets offer concise and readable essays that are at once narrative and critical. These essays summarize the most recent interpretations in specific areas of or approaches to history, and select, critical bibliographies are included. Profession. The constitution mandates that the Professional Division "collect and disseminate information about employment opportunities for all historians regardless of individual membership in the association." The division is especially concerned with the job crisis, alternative careers, and the rights of historians. The association solicits information on employment opportunities for historians and publishes job announcements in its monthly newsletter, 2 BACKGROUND AHA Perspectives. At each annual meeting, the AHA operates a Job Register for the posting of job announcements and the interviewing of candidates. Institutional Services Program. An Institutional Services Program has been inaugurated in order to expand AHA services to departments of history. The program combines some of the established AHA services and publications such as the Guide to Departments ofHistory, Directory of Women Historians, Grants and Fellowships ofInterest to Historians, Women's History: A Resource