Biography
Biography
My specializations are Immigration & assimilation, statistical methods, and colonial. My Research and Teaching Interests include History of U.S. Immigration, including contemporary immigration. History of U.S. Policy and Topics related to comparative immigration and immigration policy. History of Ethnicity in the U.S. Strong interest in quantitative analysis, as applied to historical research. Some residual special interest in early American history.
Education
Ph.D., Columbia
M.A., Columbia
B.A., Fordham
Books
Correlation and Regression Analysis: A Historian’s Guide
Thomas Archdeacon. Correlation and Regression Analysis: A Historian’s Guide. University of Wisconsin Press, 1994.
In Correlation and Regression Analysis: A Historian’s Guide Thomas J. Archdeacon provides historians with a practical introduction to the use of correlation and regression analysis. The book concentrates on the kinds of analysis that form the broad range of statistical methods used in the social sciences. It enables historians to understand and to evaluate critically the quantitative analyses that they are likely to encounter in journal literature and monographs reporting research findings in the social sciences. Without attempting to be a text in basic statistics, the book provides enough background information to allow readers to grasp the essentials of correlation and regression. Correlation analysis refers to the measurement of association between or among variables, and regression analysis focuses primarily on the use of linear models to predict changes in the value taken by one variable in terms of changes in the values of a set of explanatory variables. The book also discusses diagnostic methods for identifying shortcomings in regression models, the use of regression to analyze causation, and the application of regression and related procedures to the study of problems containing categorical as well as numerical data. Archdeacon asserts that knowing how statistical procedures are computed can clarify the theoretical structures underlying them and is essential for recognizing the conditions under which their use is appropriate. The book does not shy away from the mathematics of statistical analysis; but Archdeacon presents concepts carefully and explains the operation of equations step by step. Unlike many works in the field, the book does not assume that readers have mathematical training beyond basic algebra and geometry. In the hope of promoting the role of quantitative analysis in his discipline, Archdeacon discusses the theory and methods behind the most important interpretive paradigm for quantitative research in the social sciences. Correlation and Regression Analysis introduces statistical techniques that are indispensable to historians and enhances the presentation of them with practical examples from scholarly works.
Becoming American: An Ethnic History
Thomas Archdeacon. Becoming American: An Ethnic History. New York: The Free Press, 1983.
Traces the history of American immigration from 1607 to the 1920s and looks at how groups of immigrants have adapted to the United States.
New York City, 1664–1710: Conquest and Change
Thomas Archdeacon. New York City, 1664–1710: Conquest and Change. Cornell University Press, 1976.
Integrating sophisticated demographic techniques with clearly written narrative, this pioneering book (first published in 1976) explores the complex social and economic life of a major colonial city. New York City was a vital part of the middle colonies and may hold the key to the origins of political democracy in America. Family histories, public records of births, marriages, and assessments, and records of business transactions and poll lists are among the rich sources Thomas J. Archdeacon uses to determine the impact of the English conquest on the city of New York. Among his concerns are the changing relationships between the Dutch and the English, the distribution of wealth and the role of commerce in the city, and the part played by ethnic and religious heritage in provincial politics.
History Courses Taught
- History 200 – The Korean War
- History 200 – World War I
- History 300 – The Art & Science of History
- History 398 – The US Since 1945
- History 403 – Immigration & Assimilation in American History – Syllabus 2022 (pdf)
- History 404 – Ethnicity – 20th Century America
- History 503 – Irish and Scottish Migrations
- History 571 – Studies – United States History
- History 600 – The Korean War
- History 600 – Irish and Scottish Migrations
- History 795 – Quantitative Methods for Historical Research
- History 901 – Studies in American History
- History 902 – Research Seminar: American History