Charles A. Beard
Historian
Influential historian who emphasized the impact of social and economic forces on the development of American institutions. His book, The Rise of American Civilization, which he wrote with his wife in 1927, was a major influence on the field of history and a bestseller at the time.
After completing his studies at Oxford, England, he became a prominent intellectual leader of the Progressive movement, arguing for municipal government reform.
His seminal work, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, which examined the votes of the Constitutional Convention members from an economic perspective, took 40 years to be recognized.
He was born in Knightstown, Indiana.
His foreign policy views became popular with conservative politicians and intellectuals, including Pat Buchanan.