W. Caleb McDaniel

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W. Caleb McDaniel
Born
William Caleb McDaniel

(1979-08-02) August 2, 1979 (age 44)
Texas, USA
SpouseBrandy McDaniel
Awards2020 Pulitzer Prize for History
2014 Merle Curti Award
Academic background
EducationTexas A&M University (BA, MA)
Johns Hopkins University (PhD)
ThesisOur Country is the World: Radical American Abolitionists Abroad. (2006)
Academic advisorsDorothy Ross
Academic work
InstitutionsRice University
University of Denver
Notable worksSweet Taste of Liberty
Websitewcaleb.org

William Caleb McDaniel (born August 2, 1979) is an American historian. His book Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for History. He is also an Associate professor of History at Rice University.

Early life and education

McDaniel was born on August 2, 1979[1] to parents Jim and Pam McDaniel. Growing up, he attended William P. Hobby Middle School and Tom C. Clark High School where he was inspired to become a historian.[2] He attended Texas A&M University for his undergraduate degree and Master's degree after being offered a President’s Endowed Scholarship.[3] After earning his degrees, he enrolled at Johns Hopkins University for his PhD, which he received in 2006.[4] While at Johns Hopkins, he listed historian Dorothy Ross as one of his mentors.[5]

Career

Upon earning his PhD, McDaniel accepted an Assistant professor of History position at the University of Denver before moving to Rice University.[6] In his early years at Rice, he published Repealing Unions: American Abolitionists, Irish Repeal, and the Origins of Garrisonian Disunionism in the Journal of the Early Republic, which received the 2008 Ralph D. Gray Article Prize.[7]

In 2013, McDaniel won the James H. Broussard First Book Prize[8] and Merle Curti Award for his book The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery: Garrisonian Abolitionists and Transatlantic Reform.[9] His book focused on the rise of William Lloyd Garrison, an abolitionist, and his network of connections across the Atlantic.[10] Following his first publication, McDaniel sat as a board member for Historians Against Slavery[11] and received the 2017 George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching.[12] He was also granted a National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) grant to research Henrietta Wood, a former slave.[13]

McDaniel's second book, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, was published in 2019 and was a historical account of the life of Henrietta Wood. Wood was captured and enslaved twice before winning the largest known financial settlement awarded by a U.S. court in restitution for slavery.[14] He had first learned about Wood from another historian while working on a research project.[15] It received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for History, making him the first Rice professor to win a Pulitzer,[16] and the Avery O. Craven Award for "the most original book on the coming of the Civil War, the Civil War years, or the Era of Reconstruction, with the exception of works of purely military history."[17]

References

  1. ^ "McDaniel, W. Caleb (William Caleb), 1979-". id.loc.gov. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  2. ^ McDaniel, William Caleb (April 2006). "OUR COUNTRY IS THE WORLD: RADICAL AMERICAN ABOLITIONISTS ABROAD" (PDF). owlnet.rice.edu. p. 5. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Former Student Wins 2020 Pulitzer Prize in History". insitebrazosvalley.com. June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "W. Caleb McDaniel awarded Pulitzer Prize". history.jhu.edu. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Johns Hopkins alum Caleb McDaniel wins Pulitzer Prize for History". hub.jhu.edu. May 7, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "W. Caleb McDaniel CV" (PDF). rice.edu. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "Editor's Page". Journal of the Early Republic. 29 (4). University of Pennsylvania Press. Winter 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Past Prize Winners". shear.org. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Merle Curti Award Winners". oah.org. Organization of American Historians. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  10. S2CID 144292080
    . Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "Dr. W. Caleb McDaniel". historiansagainstslavery.org. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "Two History Professors Honored with Superior Teaching Award". history.rice.edu. 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Falk, Jeff (September 2, 2016). "Rice's McDaniel receives NEH grant to support book project on woman who sued former enslaver". news.rice.edu. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Shilcutt, Katharine (August 30, 2019). "'Sweet Taste of Liberty': How a former slave fought for and won her day in court". news.rice.edu. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  15. ^ Morgan, Rynd (May 10, 2020). "History professor Caleb McDaniel wins Rice's first Pulitzer Prize". ricethresher.org. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  16. ^ Shilcutt, Katharine (May 4, 2020). "Pulitzer Prize awarded to Rice history professor". news.rice.edu. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  17. ^ @The_OAH (April 3, 2020). "The Avery O. Craven Award goes to W. Caleb McDaniel for the most original book on the coming of the Civil War, the Civil War years, or the Era of Reconstruction, with the exception of works of purely military history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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