The Historian as Policy Analyst
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11664334 |
|---|---|
| Authors | George Mcgovern (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1989 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 37-46 |
| Publication date | 1989-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Public Historian (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0272-3433 • E-ISSN: 1533-8576 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/3378294 |
| OpenAlex | W2013372569 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 4 |
AM DELIGHTED to have the opportunity to address my fellow historians. History has vitally interested me ever since my high school days, when fell under the influence of two history teachers, Ruth McVey and Robert Pearson. During my sophomore year at Mitchell High School, studied world history with McVey. During my junior year, Pearson taught me American history. Neither of these courses is taught any more at Mitchell High School, and consider this a serious loss, because it was that junior course in American history, especially, listening to that fine teacher and getting to know him, that quickened my interest in history and led to my decision, at the age of sixteen, to become a history teacher. After World War II, enrolled at Northwestern University and went all the way through, on the G.I. Bill, to become a Ph. D. in American history. And can honestly say now, having been in politics for thirty-five years, that have never for one day regretted laying the foundation in the study of history. Not that it provides all the answers-no single study does-but no other discipline is better than history for giving one the breadth and perspective that can sometimes, if used with caution, be helpful in developing public policy. During his campaign for the presidency in 1960, John Kennedy was asked what he regarded as his most important single asset if he were to win the election and become the president of the United States. And he answered, I think that it is my sense of history. By that, he said, I mean the capacity to know what are the great historical movements and values and institutions that have brought the United States to a position of power and influence in the world, and beyond that some capacity to discern what the basic historical forces are that are moving in our own day, which ones we ought to oppose and which ones we ought to support. As a historian
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,09 |
| Citation span | 1991 - 2014 (24) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |