1. HISTORY 250 RELEVANCE AND OBJECTIVITY: THE 1985 ‘SEARS CASE’ DR. TIMOTHY A. HICKMAN

2. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’

3. II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline

4. PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS

5. Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 6 Vol., 1776-89.

6. Walter Scott, 1771-1832

7. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884)

8. ‘Wissenschaftliches Objektivitat’

9. ‘Wie es eigentlich gewesen war’ Leopold von Ranke

10. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism

11. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions

12. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture

13. JOHN GAST, AMERICAN PROGRESS, 1872

14. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?)

15. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’

16. Edward P. Thomspson, 1924-1993

17. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History

18. 1973

19. Civil Rights Marchers, 1963 Photo: Abbie Rowe, National Parks Service

20. The March on Washington. August, 1963

21. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History

22. 1970

23. Stokley Carmichael campaigns at Berkeley under the new slogan 29 October, 1966

24. “If we assert that nineteenth-century women in particular, and perhaps all women, constitute an autonomous female culture, we assert that women’s separate sphere and experiences are the product, not of men’s ghettoization of women, but of women’s distinctive psychosexual and biological nature. We then unambiguously proclaim women’s absolute Otherness.” Disorderly Conduct: Visions of Gender in Victorian America (New York, 1985), 28. CARROLL SMITH-ROSENBERG

25. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case

26. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964

27. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck

28. The Sears Catalogue, 1897

29. The Sears Tower, completed 1973 Still America’s tallest building!

30. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case

31. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case C) The witnesses: Rosalind Rosenberg vs. Alice Kessler-Harris

32. “the historical evidence show[s that]… men and women differ in their expectations concerning work, in their interests as tot the types of jobs they prefer or the types of products they prefer to sell…. It is naïve to believe that the natural effect of these differences is evidence of discrimination by Sears.” (EEOC v. Sears, Civil Action no. 79-C-4373, US District Court for Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, par. 24). ROSALIND ROSENBERG

33. “What appear to be women’s choices, and what are characterized as women’s ‘interests’ are, in fact, heavily influenced by the opportunities for work made available to them…. Where opportunity has existed, women have never failed to take the jobs offered…Failure to find women in so- called non-traditional jobs can thus only be interpreted as a consequence of employers’ unexamined attitudes or preferences, which phenomenon is the essence of discrimination.” (EEOC v. Sears, pars. 2, 6, 13) ALICE KESSLER-HARRIS

34. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case C) The witnesses: Rosalind Rosenberg vs. Alice Kessler-Harris D) Feminism vs. Scholarship, or, ‘Ideology’ vs. ‘Objectivity’

35. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ E) African-American, or ‘Black’ History F) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case C) The witnesses: Rosalind Rosenberg vs. Alice Kessler-Harris D) Feminism vs. Scholarship, or, ‘Ideology’ vs. ‘Objectivity’ E) The Verdict VI) Conclusion: Relevance, Objectivity and ‘Truth.’ Why did Sears win? I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case C) The witnesses: Rosalind Rosenberg vs. Alice Kessler-Harris D) Feminism vs. Scholarship, or, ‘Ideology’ vs. ‘Objectivity’ E) The Verdict

36. I) Introduction: Relevance and the Problem of ‘Objectivity’ II) The Professionalization of History as a Discipline A) Objectivity and the founding of the American Historical Association, (1884). B) Universalism C) The Problem of Agency: Great Men and their institutions III) From the ‘Consensus School’ to a ‘New Social History’ A) Consensus in US culture B) Decline of consensus and the end of ‘universalism’(?) C) E.P. Thompson’s ‘history from below’ D) African-American, or ‘Black’ History E) Women’s, or ‘Feminist,’ History IV) The Sears Case A) Significance of Sears and Roebuck B) The case C) The witnesses: Rosalind Rosenberg vs. Alice Kessler-Harris D) Feminism vs. Scholarship, or, ‘Ideology’ vs. ‘Objectivity’ E) The Verdict VI) Conclusion: Relevance, Objectivity and ‘Truth.’ Why did Sears win?

37. “You would not lie in your testimony, but you also would not say or write something as a historian solely to hurt a group of people…. [Rosenberg] was prepared to testify that other women—working class women, poor women, non-white women—had not wanted well-paying jobs, and would not willingly make the kinds of compromises she herself had made in order to succeed at them. What was to be gained by such testimony?” (Peter Novick, That Noble Dream, 509) ALICE KESSLER-HARRIS