“The "new" history–the history of ordinary people, of minorities, of women, of African-Americans, of native Americans, of labor, and of social and economic conflict–how new is it? Ellen Fitzpatrick shows in excellent detail how old and deep a tradition in American historiography it really is, how it emerged in the 1880s, deepened in the 1920s and 30s, and reached maturity long before the so-called 'new' historians of the 1960s and 70s called it their own. Exploring the work of historians and social scientists, especially of the years before World War II, she shows the deep continuities of history 'from the bottom up' and the remarkable achievements of the scholars––some renowned, some obscure–who originated modern social history. An important part of history's memory has been recovered.”
—Bernard Bailyn, Harvard University

“Every serious student of American history should read this beautifully written book, which traces the development of historical interpretations with intelligence, wit, and a profound moral sensibility. Even the 'new' social and cultural history, Fitzpatrick shows, has deep roots in the work of previous generations. History's Memory is one of the most important books on or about American history published in the past decade.”
—Pauline Maier, author of American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence

“Deeply researched and well written.....this book significantly advances our understanding of the impact of women intellectuals on Progressive-era reform.”
—American Historical Review

“An excellent study of the impact of the new social science and graduate training on social investigation and reform politics in the early twentieth century....Delightful to read and carries a strong thesis.”
—Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“Fitzpatrick's vivid biographies reveal individuals of remarkable purpose and enterprise....Fitzpatrick brings their lives and contributions into respectful and realistic view, as inspiring foremothers and as cautionary figures.”
—Women's Review of Books

“A rich and historically perceptive context for understanding the substance and significance of this early investigative journalism.” 
—Morton Keller, Brandeis University

“An excellent introduction to the phenomenon of muckraking and to its important place within the larger history of twentieth-century reform.”
—Alan Brinkley, Columbia University

“The book you are about to read tells the story of one of the great social movements in American history. The struggle for women’s voting rights was one of the longest, most successful, and in some respects most radical challenges ever posed to the American system of electoral politics…It is difficult to imagine now a time when women were largely removed by custom, practice, and law from the formal political rights and responsibilities that supported and sustained the nation’s young democracy…For sheer drama the suffrage movement has few equals in modern American political history.”
—From the Preface by Ellen Fitzpatrick