A brief survey of the relationship between the American Historical Association and public history activities.

1. The Many Pasts of Public History:
The Path through theAHA
American Historical Association Meeting
New York City
January 3, 2015
Chair: Marla Miller: @MarlaatUMass
Speakers: Rob Townsend: @rbthisted
Denise Meringolo: @DDMeringolo
Will Walker: @WIllCooperstown

2. Principal Employment of AHA Members, 2003
Business or Industry
3.0%
Elementary, Middle, or
Secondary School
6.2%
Government (Non-
U.S.)
0.1%
Historical Organization
0.7%
Library/Archives
1.7%
Local Government
0.4%
Museum
0.6%
Non profit
Organization
1.8%
Private Foundation
0.2%
Professional
Association
0.3%
Self-Employed
5.4%
State Government
0.6%
U.S. Government
1.2%
Other
10.4%
4-yr College or
University
62.9%
2-Year College
4.6%

3. Key Figures in AHA
Reuben Gold Thwaites
Wisconsin Hist. Soc.
Solon Buck
Minnesota Historical Society and
National Archives
Waldo Gifford Leland
AHA and ACLS.
J. Franklin Jameson
Carnegie Institution, D.C.
Lucy Salmon
Vassar Coll.

4. Number of AHA Committees Devoted to Activity, 1843 to 1945
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1884 1889 1894 1899 1904 1909 1914 1919 1924 1929 1934 1939 1944
Public History
Research
Scholarship
Teaching and
Pedagogy
Tools and
Materials

5. Changing Technologies

6. Growth in Nationally Recognized Historical Societies
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1893 1905 1916 1926 1936 1944

7. Growth in States with Archival Programs
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1900 1905 1910 1915 1920 1925 1930 1935 1940 1944

8. AHA Membership in History-related Positions, 1884 to 1940
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
1884 (N=220)
1911 (N=2,755)
1920 (N=2,348)
1940 (N=3,063)

9. For additional questions
please e-mail me at
rtownsend@amacad.org