author
Charles Kendall Adams
1835–1902
A leading 19th-century educator and historian, he helped shape American higher education by bringing more rigorous historical study into the university classroom. His career connected three major institutions: the University of Michigan, Cornell, and the University of Wisconsin.
2 Audiobooks
A History of the United States
by Charles Kendall Adams, William P. (William Peterfield) Trent
Christopher Columbus: His Life and His Work
by Charles Kendall Adams
About the author
Born in Derby, Vermont, in 1835, Charles Kendall Adams grew up in Iowa and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1861. After joining the Michigan faculty, he became known as a serious teacher of history at a time when the subject was still finding its place in American universities.
Study in Europe influenced his approach to teaching, and he is widely associated with introducing the seminar method of historical study to students in the United States. He also wrote and edited historical works, including guides meant to help readers and students navigate important books and sources.
Adams went on to serve as president of Cornell University from 1885 to 1892 and then as president of the University of Wisconsin, where he remained a prominent academic leader until shortly before his death in 1902. Remembered as both a scholar and a builder of institutions, he played an important role in making university history teaching more research-focused and modern.