Arthur A. Ekirch Jr. (1915–2000) was a founding Member of the Board of Advisors of the Independent Institute and a professor and author who taught American intellectual history. An expert on the relationship between government power and individual liberties, Dr. Ekirch’s career included faculty positions at Hofstra University, American University, and the University at Albany.
Professor Ekirch held degrees from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Peace History Society that is an affiliated society of the American Historical Association and a member of the National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History, the International Peace Research Association, and the International Congress of Historical Sciences.
A prolific author, Professor Ekirch wrote scores of articles and books, including the acclaimed volumes, The Decline of American Liberalism, The Idea of Progress in America 1815–1860, The Civilian and the Military: A History of the American Anti-Militarist Tradition, Man and Nature in America, The American Democratic Tradition: A History, Voices in Dissent: An Anthology of Individualist Thought in the U.S., Ideas, Ideals and American Diplomacy: A History of Their Growth and Interaction, Ideologies & Utopias: The Impact of the New Deal on American Thought, American Intellectual History: The Development of the Discipline, The Challenge of Democracy: A Concise History of Social Thought and Political Action, and Progressivism in America: A Study of the Era from Theodore Roosevelt to Woodrow Wilson.
