In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

xiii Preface Although my name alone is on the cover, I—like all writers—recognize that this book is not the work of one individual. I began this project in the spring of 2004 while my husband attended business school at the University of Virginia . It was at UVA’s Miller Center for Public Affairs that I met former Miller Fellow Alethia Jones, now at the State University of New York–Albany, who provided me with valuable feedback on early drafts. My perspective on politics , public policy, social knowledge construction, and state building has been deepened by the time I spent at the Miller Center, and I thank directors Brian Balogh and Sidney Milkis for being so welcoming and generous with their time. Even more important to me than the Miller Center are the history faculty and students at the University of California–Santa Barbara. Classes and conversations with W. Elliot Brownlee, Randolph E. Bergstrom, Laura Kalman , Mary O. Furner, and Alice O’Connor set me on my original course in studying Americanization as public policy, and to them I owe intellectual and personal debts that can never be repaid. I have also benefited greatly from conversations with classmates Beth Nelson, Benjamin C. Zulueta, and John Baranski over the past several years. I must also acknowledge Dr. John C. Burnham of Ohio State University for the idea of using values as a tool of analysis for class relations. Discussions with Robert D. Johnston of the University of Illinois–Chicago also helped me sharpen my thinking about class relations. And I enjoyed a series of charming conversations with Dr. William J. Maxwell, distinguished service professor at New Jersey City University, about his research into the life of Frances A. Kellor. Like all researchers, I could not have done this project without the help of many librarians and archivists. I especially appreciate the assistance of the staff at the Bancroft Library at the University of California–Berkeley; the University of Illinois–Chicago Daley Library Special Collections and Archives Department (especially librarian Patricia Bakunas); and the University of Chicago Regenstein Library Special Collections Research Center (particularly librar- xiv Preface ians Kathleen Feeney, Julia Gardner, and David Pavelich). Barbara Addison of the Peace Collection at Swarthmore College provided useful tips in researching the Emily Greene Balch papers, and staff at the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library taught me how to navigate the nation’s largest library systems. Charles Greifenstein and Earle E. Spamer of the American Philosophical Society archives in Philadelphia helped me find valuable correspondence in the Charles B. Davenport Papers when I belatedly discovered a connection between New York’s Americanization policy and eugenics. I would also like to thank series coeditor Richard Greenwald, who taught me several useful tricks in doing research in New York City. I express gratitude to University Press of Florida director Meredith Morris-Babb and acquisitions editor Eli Bortz for teaching me the ins and outs of publishing. UPF staff members Jen Graham and Heather Romans Turci also provided valuable assistance. Finally, this book would not have been possible without the moral and financial support of my husband, Scott M. McPherson, who endured, without complaint, five years of living on one paycheck, vacations planned around research trips, and quite a lot of complaining about progressivism, assimilation, and the challenges of writing. His patience, constructive criticism, great editing skills, and the admonition: “Just write, damn it!” confirmed once again that he is truly the only partner this historian needs. ...

Share