William H. Prescott

William H. Prescott. William Hickling Prescott was a prominent American historian renowned for his magisterial narratives on the Spanish Empire and its conquests in the New World. Despite being nearly blind for much of his career, he pioneered rigorous research methods, utilizing teams of readers and a noctograph to produce works celebrated for their literary style and scholarly ambition. His major publications, including the acclaimed History of the Conquest of Mexico, established him as one of the first great American historians and a central figure in the development of historiography in the United States.

Early life and education

Born into a wealthy family in Salem, Massachusetts, Prescott was the son of Judge William Prescott and grandson of Colonel William Prescott who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He entered Harvard College in 1811, but his studies were interrupted by a tragic incident where a hard crust of bread thrown in a dining hall struck his eye, leading to permanent damage and near-total blindness. He nevertheless graduated in 1814 and initially pursued a career in law, traveling to Europe where he spent time in the Azores, London, and Paris. His time abroad, including meetings with notable literary figures, and his extensive reading in European literature and history, steered him away from the legal profession and toward a life of scholarship.

Historical works and methodology

Prescott's first major work, History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic (1837), was an immediate critical and popular success on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. He followed this with his most famous work, History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843), which vividly detailed the campaign of Hernán Cortés against the Aztec Empire under Moctezuma II. This was succeeded by History of the Conquest of Peru (1847), chronicling the exploits of Francisco Pizarro and the fall of the Inca Empire. His final, unfinished work was the History of the Reign of Philip the Second. Despite his visual impairment, Prescott employed a meticulous methodology, relying on a network of assistants to read aloud from primary sources in Spanish, French, and other languages housed in libraries like the Bibliothèque nationale de France. He composed sentences in his mind and used a noctograph, a writing grid for the blind, to draft his eloquent, dramatic narratives that blended rigorous scholarship with the pacing of epic literature.

Influence and legacy

Prescott's works had a profound influence on the popular and academic understanding of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Society of Arts, and his books were widely translated. Alongside contemporaries like George Bancroft and Francis Parkman, he is considered a foundational figure in American historical writing, helping to establish its credibility and literary prestige. His interpretive framework, though later critiqued for its Eurocentrism and reliance on conquistador accounts, set a standard for narrative history. His papers are held at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and his legacy is honored by the American Historical Association through the Prescott Prize.

Personal life and health challenges

In 1820, Prescott married Susan Amory, with whom he had four children, and they maintained a home on Beacon Street in Boston. His personal fortune, derived from family investments, allowed him to dedicate himself entirely to scholarship. He battled chronic health issues and near-blindness throughout his adult life, managing his condition with strict discipline and the support of his family and secretaries. A man of considerable social standing, he was a central figure in Boston Brahmin society and a member of the exclusive Saturday Club, which included friends like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Richard Henry Dana Jr.. He died of a stroke in Boston in 1859.

Selected bibliography

* History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic (1837) * History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843) * History of the Conquest of Peru (1847) * History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain (Vol. I & II, 1855; Vol. III, 1858)

Category:American historians Category:1796 births Category:1859 deaths Category:Harvard University alumni Category:People from Salem, Massachusetts Category:Writers from Boston