Background
Allison, Robert James was born on April 21, 1957 in East Orange, New Jersey, United States. Son of David C. and Harriette (Galbraith) Allison.
( Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephe...)
Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns -- from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois. After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain. In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity -- when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558494928/?tag=2022091-20
( From the beginning of the colonial period to the recent...)
From the beginning of the colonial period to the recent conflicts in the Middle East, encounters with the Muslim world have helped Americans define national identity and purpose. Focusing on America's encounter with the Barbary states of North Africa from 1776 to 1815, Robert Allison traces the perceptions and mis-perceptions of Islam in the American mind as the new nation constructed its ideology and system of government. "A powerful ending that explains how the experience with the Barbary states compelled many Americans to look inward . . . with increasing doubts about the institution of slavery." —David W. Lesch, Middle East Journal "Allison's incisive and informative account of the fledgling republic's encounter with the Muslim world is a revelation with a special pertinence to today's international scene." —Richard W. Bulliet, Journal of Interdisciplinary History "This book should be widely read. . . . Allison's study provides a context for understanding more recent developments, such as America's tendency to demonize figures like Iran's Khumaini, Libya's Qaddafi, and Iraq's Saddam." —Richard M. Eaton, Eighteenth Century Studies
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226014908/?tag=2022091-20
(Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen ...)
Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns―from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois. After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain. In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity―when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1558495835/?tag=2022091-20
Allison, Robert James was born on April 21, 1957 in East Orange, New Jersey, United States. Son of David C. and Harriette (Galbraith) Allison.
AB, Harvard University, 1986; Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1992.
Tutor history, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1989-1992; lecturer history and literature, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1992-1995; lecturer history, Suffolk U., Boston, 1992-1995; assistant professor of history, director university archives, Suffolk U., Boston, since 1995.
(Looking at the Muslim world in the context of American id...)
( From the beginning of the colonial period to the recent...)
( Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephe...)
(Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen ...)
Member American Historic Association.
Married Phyllis Anne Gaudiano, July 5, 1985. Children: John Robert, Philip.