Jesse Macy

The Anti-slavery Crusade: a Chronicle of the Gathering Storm Jesse Macy

Jesse Macy (1842-1919) was an American political scientist and historian of the late 19th and early 20th century, specializing in the history of American political parties, party systems, and the Civil War. He spent most of his professional career at his alma mater, Grinnell College. At age 17, he entered Iowa College. During the Civil War, he served in the Union army and he did not graduate until after the war, earning an A. B. in 1870. In 1884, he completed his Ph. D. at Johns Hopkins University. For the next forty-two years, Macy taught history and political science at the college. He was also a leading author of political science textbooks. Professor Macy's 1896 manual on American civil government, Our Government: How it Grew, What it Does, and How it Does it, was an influential primer for university students and his 1897 The English Constitution: A Commentary on its Nature and Growth was acclaimed for providing the necessary foundation in English law to correctly understand American law.