Recounts the life of Carl Bridenbaugh (1903-92), historian and member of the American Antiquarian Society. In the 1940's and 1950's Bridenbaugh advocated for a rejuvenated study of colonial and Revolutionary periods of American history. Renowned for his presidential address to the American Historical Association in 1962, in which he criticized new methodologies and young scholars for distorting preindustrial history, Bridenbaugh should also be remembered for his contributions to the field. His works and teachings emphasized the importance of examining the past within its own context, in-depth research, rational interpretation, and sound writing. Bridenbaugh also served as the first director of the Institute for Early American History and Culture and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, and University of California, Berkeley.