William H. Prescott

Lore & Background

William H. Prescott was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the first of seven children, though four siblings died in infancy. His father was a lawyer, and his grandfather served as a colonel in the American Revolutionary War. Prescott began formal schooling at age seven, later moving to Boston and studying under Dr. John Gardiner. He enrolled at Harvard College as a sophomore in August 1811 at age 15, where he struggled with mathematics but memorized demonstrations word-for-word. His eyesight degenerated after being hit in the eye with a crust of bread during a food fight; it remained weak and unstable for life. He graduated in 1814, then traveled to Europe, visiting the Azores, London, Paris, and Italy, and meeting future president John Quincy Adams. He married Susan Amory on May 4, 1820.

Prescott abandoned a legal career in 1821 due to his eyesight and devoted himself to literature. He initially studied Italian poetry, publishing essays in the North American Review. His interest in Spanish history grew after friend George Ticknor sent him lectures on the subject. Starting in January 1826, he prepared material on Ferdinand and Isabella, aided by scholar Pascual de Gayangos y Arce and diplomat Alexander Hill Everett. Despite setbacks, including the death of his eldest daughter in 1829, he began drafting the History in October 1829. He used a noctograph to write independently and became a trustee of the Perkins School for the Blind in 1830.

Reader's Guide

Prescott's significance lies in his pioneering role as the first American scientific historian, establishing rigorous archival methods in the United States. His works—The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic (1837), The History of the Conquest of Mexico (1843), A History of the Conquest of Peru (1847), and the unfinished History of the Reign of Phillip II (1856–1858)—became classics, greatly impacting the study of Spain and Mesoamerica. Historians admire his exhaustive use of archives, accurate recreation of events, balanced judgments, and lively writing style, though he focused on political and military affairs, ignoring economic, social, and cultural forces. He was regarded as one of the greatest living American intellectuals, knew leading political figures in the U.S. and Britain, and became one of the most widely translated American historians, helping develop history as a rigorous academic discipline.

Did You Know?

• Prescott had an eidetic (photographic) memory.
• His eyesight was damaged when he was hit in the eye with a crust of bread during a food fight at Harvard.
• He used a noctograph to write independently despite his visual impairment.
• He helped raise $50,000 for the Perkins School for the Blind in May 1833.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"William Hickling Prescott (May 4, 1796 – January 29, 1859) was an American historian, best known for his History of the Conquest of Mexico and History of the Conquest of Peru." — William H. Prescott "Quotations are cited from the 1st edition (New York: Harper, 1845)." — William H. Prescott "The history of literature is the history of the human mind. It is, as compared with other histories, the intellectual as distinguished from the material, the informing spirit as compared with the outward and visible." — William H. Prescott "Chateaubriand's English Literature" (1839), p. 245." — William H. Prescott