Ferling, John E. 1940- (John Ferling)

PERSONAL:

Born January 10, 1940, in Charleston, WV; son of Ernie L. (an industrial production supervisor) and Ruth (a homemaker) Ferling; married Carol Millette (a homemaker), September 5, 1965. Education: Sam Houston State University, B.A., 1961; Baylor University, M.A., 1962; West Virginia University, Ph.D., 1971. Religion: Lutheran.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Carrollton, GA. Office—Department of History, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118.

CAREER:

Morehead State University, Morehead, KY, assistant professor of history, 1965-68; West Chester State University, West Chester, PA, associate professor of history, 1970-71; State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, professor of history, 1971-2004.

MEMBER:

Institute of Early American History and Culture, Society of Historians of the Early American Republic, Organization of American Historians.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Fraunces Tavern Award, 2003, for A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic; Outstanding Retired Faculty Award, University of West Georgia.

WRITINGS:

The Loyalist Mind, Pennsylvania State University Press (University Park, PA), 1977.

A Wilderness of Miseries, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1981.

The First of Men: A Life of George Washington, University of Tennessee Press (Knoxville, TN), 1988.

John Adams: A Life, University of Tennessee Press (Knoxville, TN), 1992.

Struggle for a Continent, Harlan, Davidson (Arlington Heights, IL), 1992.

John Adams: A Bibliography, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1993.

Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2000.

A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals, including American History.

SIDELIGHTS:

John E. Ferling has written extensively on the first years of the American republic. His books include biographies of George Washington and John Adams, as well as volumes that explore the political dynamics of the first three presidential administrations.

Ferling's A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic won the Fraunces Tavern Award, bestowed annually by the New York City chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution for the best book on the American Revolution. A Leap in the Dark covers the thirty years leading up to the war for American independence—a period in which the colonies, Ferling argues, developed a distinct American identity without which the Revolution could not have taken place. Ferling debunks many myths about the founders of the country, including the view that Washington was a brilliant and beloved military commander. As New Criterion contributor Mar Arkin observed, Ferling portrays Washington as "a blundering general whose military career began inauspiciously when, in 1754, he led the ambush of a French military party on a peaceful mission and, ‘unmanned’ at the sight of blood, permitted his Indian allies to massacre the Frenchmen after they had surrendered." Pointing out that Ferling does not fully explain why someone so lacking in leadership should be called upon to be the first president of the new country, Arkin also observed that Ferling's portrayal of Alexander Hamilton and his followers is unfair. Writing in Find Law, however, G.J. Russello praised the book as a "compelling account that is wide in scope" and that offers "an important contribution to our understanding of American independence."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Historical Review, October, 1978, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 1084; December, 1982, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 11443; April, 1990, review of The First of Men: A Life of George Washington, p. 582.

American History Illustrated, March, 1989, review of The First of Men, p. 8.

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, January, 1982, Mark Edward Lender, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 184.

Booklist, July 1, 2000, Gilbert Taylor, review of Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution, p. 2001.

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, March, 1978, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 136; May, 1981, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 1332.

History: Review of New Books, April, 1978, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 114; November, 1981, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 38; summer, 1989, "The World Turned Upside Down."

Journal of American History, December, 1978, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 758; September, 1981, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 358; December, 1989, Marcus Cunliffe, review of The First of Men, p. 912; September, 1990, "The World Turned Upside Down," p. 652.

Journal of Southern History, February, 1979, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 113; September, 1982, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 358; May, 1990, John Shy, review of The First of Men, p. 335.

Journal of the Early Republic, spring, 1989, Robert F. Jones, review of The First of Men, p. 125.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1988, review of The First of Men, p. 740; June 1, 2000, review of Setting the World Ablaze, p. 766.

Library Journal, February 15, 1978, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 454; August, 1988, Harry W. Fritz, review of The First of Men, p. 153.

New Criterion, December 1, 2003, Marc Arkin, review of A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic, p. 101.

Publishers Weekly, June 1, 1988, review of The First of Men, p. 59.

Reference & Research Book News, December, 1988, review of The First of Men, p. 6.

Reviews in American History, June, 1989, Pauline Maier, review of The First of Men, p. 190.

University Press Book News, March, 1989, review of The First of Men, p. 11.

Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, April, 1989, Noble E. Cunningham, Jr., review of The First of Men, p. 215.

Western Historical Quarterly, April, 1982, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 188.

William and Mary Quarterly, January, 1979, review of The Loyalist Mind, p. 145; July, 1982, review of A Wilderness of Miseries, p. 546; January, 1990, Paul K. Longmore, review of The First of Men, p. 164.

ONLINE

Find Law,http://writ.news.findlaw.com/ (April 30, 2008), G.J. Russello, "The American Revolution, Reloaded."

Michigan War Studies Review,http://www.michiganwarstudiesreview.com/ (April 20, 2008), John Shy, review of Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence.

Organization of American History Web site,http://www.oah.org/ (April 30, 2008), "OAH Distinguished Lectureship Program, 2007-2008: John Ferling."

Oxford University Press Web site,http://blog.oup.com/2007/06/ferling/ (April 30, 2008), "A Few Questions for John Ferling."

University of West Georgia Web site,http://www.westga.edu/ (April 30, 2008), John Ferling profile.