Seaver, Paul S.
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Paul S. Seaver, Professor of Early Modern English History, Emeritus, begins his interview by discussing his childhood on his family’s dairy farm in a Quaker community in rural Pennsylvania. He discusses being a conscientious objector, refusing to register for the draft for the Korean War, and consequently serving time in prison in Danbury, CT. He recalls his years as an undergraduate at Haverford College and as a graduate student at Harvard University. He recounts his early career at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and how he later came to Stanford University. He describes evolutions in the Stanford undergraduate curriculum related to the teaching of western civilization and changes in the faculty in the Department of History, as it slowly became more inclusive of women and minorities. He pays particular attention to the radicalism on campus during the civil rights movement and Vietnam War, and his involvement as a draft counselor, which causes Seaver to segue into further reflection on his time at Danbury penitentiary. Seaver comments on the exclusion of minorities in admission processes until 1964 when, with the hiring of a new dean of admissions, he immediately began to see changes in the student population. Seaver discusses his research for the book Wallington’s World and his fascination with working-class and urban life in seventeenth-century England. He briefly relates his research to the radicalization of societies more generally and comments on modern politics. He also touches on what he appreciates about his career at Stanford and raising his family in Palo Alto. Seaver concludes his interview by discussing his Jewish immigrant heritage, his parents’ early life and eventual conversion to the Quaker religion, and his father’s work with the American Friends Service Committee.
Description
| Type of resource | mixed material |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 25, 2016 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Seaver, Paul S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Contributing author | Thomas, Odette | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Paul Seaver |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford Historical Society |
| Subject | oral histories |
| Subject | interviews |
| Subject | higher education |
| Subject | professors |
| Subject | universities and colleges > administration |
| Subject | universities and colleges > curricula |
| Subject | universities and colleges > faculty |
Bibliographic information
| Related item |
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|---|---|
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/vb807gp6960 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
Seaver, Paul S. (2016). Oral
History. Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program Interviews (SC0932). Department of
Special Collections & University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford,
Calif. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/vb807gp6960
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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