He received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University. He served in the army and also taught at West Point until 1972 when he joined the faculty at Mount Holyoke.
Frontline - Jefferson's Blood: Joseph Ellis - A lengthy interview with the historian on slavery, Thomas Jefferson and his relationship with Sally Hemings, and the social and intellectual climate of the revolutionary-era United States.
500Joseph Ellis Vietnam War Wannabe - Assorted critical news and opinion articles about the historian's lie about serving in the Vietnam War.
National Book Award: Joseph J. Ellis - Transcript of Ellis' speech upon accepting the 1997 award in nonfiction for his American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jeffersion.
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Pulitzer Prize Winners: History - The 2001 citation for Ellis' Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, including a list of his other major works, biography, and the jurors.
Meta Description: [ A digital archive of the Pulitzer Prize winners ]
Time Magazine: A History Of His Own Making - Essay examining reasons why Ellis would have fabricated a story about a Vietnam tour of duty.
Meta Description: [ Author Joseph Ellis invented a Vietnam tour of duty. But why? ]