Norman K. Risjord
Norman K. Risjord | |
|---|---|
 Professor, historian of Early American history | |
| Born | November 25, 1931 Manitowoc, Wisconsin |
| Died | January 31, 2019 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Professor, writer |
Norman K. Risjord (November 25, 1931 – January 31, 2019) was an American professor, historian and author of early American history and the early history of the northern
University of Wisconsin for more than 30 years. Most of his research and writing was devoted to early American history involving the birth and development of political parties that emerged after the American Revolution to which he committed six separate volumes. His works also include Thomas Jefferson, Jeffersonian political thought, its influence in government, and the political parties before and during War of 1812. He has also written extensively on these topics in various historical journals. Several of Risjord's works are widely considered as the standard authority on the early American history of the U.S. party system. Risjord was twice awarded the Fulbright Lectureship
, an international award given to distinguished professors.
Early life and education
Risjord was born in
College of William and Mary from 1949 to 1953, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa society[a] in his junior year. He was also a three-year letterman on the university's swimming team. Risjord served in the Counterintelligence Corps in Berlin, 1954 to 1956. Thereafter he resumed his education at the University of Virginia where he earned his History Ph.D. in 1960. He then pursued a career as an author, lecturer, a host on Wisconsin NPR educational radio, and popular educator. His first scholarly focus produced many works in the early history of American government.[1][2][3]
Career
Mosse Building Courtyard used by History faculty
Mosse Humanities Building
U. Wisconsin-Madison
U. Wisconsin-Madison
Risjord first began teaching at
George L. Mosse Humanities Building, where his lectures won him the Kiekhofer Award as "best teacher" for his first year on campus. Subsequently, his tenure spanned more than thirty years.[2][4]
In 1966 Risjord was a visiting professor at Columbia University. Then, following the "Wisconsin Idea", in 1967 he began broadcasting his classroom lectures over NPR Wisconsin Public Radio, furthering the university's commitment to contribute to the education of every household in the state of Wisconsin. These continued periodically until 1989.[2][4][3]
Risjord was awarded a
Dundee, Scotland, 1973 to 1974.[2] Risjord served on the committee of the Southern Historical Association in 1974–1975, which oversaw the association's programs and new developments.[7]
In 1978 Risjord wrote his second research book, Chesapeake Politics, 1780-1800, a study of the evolution of political parties in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. In 1979, Risjord wrote a textbook on American History for use in secondary schools. In 1984 he wrote a college-level textbook titled America: A History of the United States published by Prentice Hall.[2]
For the next decade, Risjord remained lecturing at the Madison campus, until he was again the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Lectureship, this time to
U.S. Naval Academy between 1989 and 1990.[2][4] During much of his tenure at Wisconsin University he was a member its department of history.[9] He taught a final three years on the Madison campus to finish out his 30-year career before retiring from university lecturing.[2] Risjord retired from Wisconsin University in 1993, with the title Professor Emeritus of History.[10] In retirement, Risjord continued to write history, while applying his teaching and academic skills to volunteer work under PLATO (Participatory Learning and Teaching Organization). He continued in that role for more than two decades, until several months before his death. His teaching career lasted more than 60 years.[11][12][3]
Academia
Risjord's studies into on the early American party system were extensive and his subsequent works are often noted. Historian Donald R. Hickey notes that his writings about the Republicans in Early American political history are considered standard works on the subject. Risjord's works in this area include, The Old Republicans (1965), also considered a standard work on the early Republicans,[13] Southern Conservatism in the Age of Jefferson (1965); The Virginia Federalists (1967);[14] Early American Party System (1969); The Evolution of Political Parties in Virginia, 1782-1800 (1974).[15] Hickey maintains that the best study of the 1812 United States presidential election is Risjord's "Election of 1812."[13][16][17]
Risjord's writings over the years have appeared in several major historical journals, including the
Post university life
Risjord's teaching career lasted a total of 60 years. Upon his retirement he began writing books on US history for general readers. His first works were biographical studies that grew out of a course he taught at the university, "Representative Americans". The work evolved into six volumes, covering the biographies from the Colonial Period to the twentieth century. After that, he took an interest in the history of the upper Midwest, publishing the histories of Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Lake Superior. Risjord had written over twenty books on American History before he died on January 31, 2019.[11]
After his retirement in 1993, Risjord taught as a volunteer instructor for Wisconsin University-affiliated PLATO (Participatory Learning and Teaching Organization), part of the Division of Continuing Studies of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and is dedicated to promote self-directed learning for Madison residents nearing retirement. His first classes were in a classroom holding 20 students, then he attracted more students to fill the lecture hall at Madison Senior Center, Capitol Lakes, and finally he filled the 200-seat Oakwood Village West auditorium.[20]
Risjord was survived by his wife, Connie, his brother, John and his son, Mark.[11]
Works
During his academic career Risjord had written over 26 books, numerous essays in historical journals, along with many reviews of books by notable historians in American history. (Listed below)
Historical focus and views
In Risjord's 1812: Conservatives, War Hawks, and the Nation's Honor, he maintains that the issues leading up to the declaration of war in 1812 were "primarily concerned with the honor and integrity of the nation", than with issues concerning economics or the Canadian border.[21]
Several works are devoted to Virginia's role during the years leading up to the ratification of the Constitution in 1789, including, "Virginians and the Constitution: A Multivariant Analysis", and, "Chesapeake Politics", and, "The Evolution of Political Parties in Virginia". Risjord asserts the general theme that differences between Federalists and Republicans were not over matters of class and wealth, that sectionalism and partisanship played a major role. He also places emphasis on the influence of the enormous post war debts, foreign and domestic, owed by the United States. Risjord maintains that this was a national issue that weighed on both parties equally, and was the subject of three Congressional role calls in 1783–1784.[22][23]
List of works (
Monographs ) |
|---|
Representative Americans Series (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers):
List of journal articles (partial)
Reviews in scholarly journalsNorman K. Risjord published reviews in scholarly journals, and these attest to his scholarly standing in his field for over forty years of active academic life: Reviews of at least 46 published monographs in 12 scholarly journals cited in @ JSTOR search on au:("Norman Risjord"): William and Mary Quarterly (4), The New England Quarterly (2), The Mississippi Valley Historical Review (2), Journal of Southern History (13), Journal of American History (11), Wisconsin Magazine of History (5), Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (2), Political Science Quarterly, Arkansas Historical Quarterly, American Historical Review (4), Register of the Kentucky Historical Society .
1980s-1990s, and 2001 reviews total of 16 published in 5 scholarly journals cited in @ JSTOR search on au:("Norman Risjord").
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See also
- First Party System
- James Fulton Zimmerman, contemporary Early American historian
- History of the United States (1789–1849)
Notes
- ^ Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society in the United States.
- ^ The Fulbright Lectureship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and receives funding from the United States Congress via annual appropriation bills.[6]
- ^ - Reviewed in the William and Mary Quarterly, Jan 1961 Vol 18, No 2. By W.C. Eccles, p. 95.
- - Cited, Indiana Magazine of History, vol. 75, No.March 1, 1979, p.70 by Donald R. Hickey; referenced in Journal of the Early Republic, Vol 5, No. 4 Winter 1985, p. 441 by Steven Edwin Siry.
- ^ ::- Journal article of the same title in the William and Mary Quarterly, April 1961 Vol 12, No 1. By Norman K. Risjord, p. 176.[c]
- Journal of Southern History, May 1999 Vol 65, No 2. By Elaine G. Breslaw, p. 382.
- English Historical Review, Jan 1968 Vol 83, No 326. by J.R. Pole, p. 201; • The Historian, Aug 1966 Vol 28, No 4. by J.R. Pole, p. 677.
- Journal of American History, Dec 1974 Vol 61, No 3. by Robert McColley, p. 772; • The History Teacher, Nov 1973 Vol 7, No 1. by Jacob L. Susskind, p. 122.
- Journal of American History, Mar 1980 Vol 66, No 4, by James H. Broussard, p. 915.
- Journal of American History, Winter 1994 Vol 72, No 1. by Willard Sterne Randall, p. 215.
- Joseph J. Ellis, p. 743.
- Georgia Historical Quarterly, Spring 1997 Vol 81, No 1. by Leslie J. Gordon, p. 194.
- ^ reviewed in the History magazine, Oct 2003 Vol 88, No 4. by Ben Marsh, p. 639
- Georgia Historical Quarterly, Spring 1982 Vol 66, No 1. by Milton L. Ready, p. 73.
- ^ reviewed in The History Teacher, Feb 1987 Vol 20, No 2. by Fred M. Dahm, p. 303.
- ^ Reviewed in the Great Plains Quarterly, Summer 2014 Vol 34, No 3. by Kimberly K. Porter, p. 283.
Citations
- ^ Essay, 2019, University of Wisconsin
- ^ a b c d e f g Obituary, Omohundro Institute, 2021
- ^ a b c University of Virginia Magazine, Fall, 1960
- ^ a b c Risgord, 1974, p. 961
- ^ Fulbright Scholar Directory 1967-1968, "Norman Risjord"
- ^ Fulbright Program, Home
- ^ Depauw University, History, February 1975,, news letter
- ^ Fulbright Scholar Directory 1983-1984, "Norman Risjord"
- ^ The William and Mary Quarterly, Oct. 1992, p. 628
- ^ Wisconsin Department of History, news letter, 2019, p. 30
- ^ a b c Gunderson, biography and obituary
- ^ PLATO: Essay for Risjord
- ^ a b Hickey, 1989, p. 333
- ^ Risjord, 1967, pp. 486-517
- ^ Risjord, 1974, pp. 961–984
- ^ Risjord, 1965, title page
- ^ Rosjord, 1969, title page
- JSTOR 1918543.
- JSTOR 1901009.
- ^ Stevens, "A Leisurely Walk"
- ^ Risjord, 1961, p. 196
- ^ Risjord, 1974, pp. 613-614
- ^ Risjord, 1978, pp. 137, 293-297
- ^ "Books by Norman K. Risjord (Author of A Popular History of Minnesota)". www.goodreads.com.
Bibliography
- Fulbright U.S. Scholar Directory (1967–1968). "Norman Risjord". Retrieved June 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - Fulbright U.S. Scholar Directory (1983–1984). "Norman Risjord". Retrieved June 22, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - Hickey, Donald R. (1989). The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict. Urbana; Chicago: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01613-0.
- —— (April 1978). "Federalist Party Unity and the War of 1812". Journal of American Studies. 12 (1). Cambridge University Press: 23–39. S2CID 144907975.
- Hickey, Donald R. (March 1979). "The Federalists and the Coming of the War, 1811-1812". Indiana Magazine of History. 75 (1). Indiana University Press: 70–88. JSTOR 27790356.
- Risjord, Norman (1965). The Old Republicans: Southern Conservatism in the Age of Jefferson.
- —— (November 1967). "The Virginia Federalists". The Journal of Southern History. 33 (4). Southern Historical Association: 486–517. JSTOR 2204473.
- —— (1969). The Early American Party System.
- ——; Denboer, Gordon (March 1974). "The Evolution of Political Parties in Virginia, 1782-1800". The Journal of American History. 60 (4). Oxford University Press: 961–984. JSTOR 1901009.
- —— (1991). Jefferson's America, 1760-1815. Madison : Madison House. ISBN 978-1-4422-0052-4.
- —— (April 1961). "1812: Conservatives, War Hawks and the Nation's Honor". The William and Mary Quarterly. 18 (2). Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture: 196–210. JSTOR 1918543.
- "A Leisurely Walk through PLATO's HistoryRemembering Norman Risjord" (PDF). PLATO Weekly. 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "Normand K. Risjord". Gunderson Funeral Home. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- "Norman K. Risjord". University of Wisconsin. 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- Risjord, Norman K. (1978). Chesapeake Politics. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-2310-4328-1.
- "Memorials: Norman Risjord". Wisconsin State Journal; Omohundro Institute. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- "GoodReads": Books by Norman K. Risjord
- Stevens, Michael (February 5, 2019). "A Leisurely Walk through PLATO's History: Remembering Norman Risjord" (PDF). PLATO Weekly Update. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "PLATO: Participatory Learning and Teaching Organization". University of Wisconsin, via The Wisconsin Idea. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "Univ. Wisconsin Data Base; Participatory Learning and Teaching Organization". Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "The Wisconsin Idea". University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- "Depauw University, A Pictorial History". Depauw University Press. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
- Risjord, Norman K. (October 1992). "Partisanship and Power: House Committees and the Powers of the Speaker, 1789-1801". The William and Mary Quarterly. 49 (4). Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture: 628–651. JSTOR 2947175.
- "Norman K. Risjord (1931-2019)" (PDF). The Past in the Present, 2019 News for Alumni and Friends from the Department of History. University of Wisconsin: 1–33. 2019.
- "Norman K. Risjord (Grad '60)". University of Virginia Magazine. 1960. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- "The Fulbright Program". Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; U.S. Department of State. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
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