John E. Ferling
historian
John E. Ferling (born 1940) is a professor emeritus of history at the University of West Georgia. As a leading historian in the American Revolution and founding era, he has appeared in television documentaries on PBS, the History Channel, C-SPAN Book TV, and the Learning Channel.
Biography
John Ferling was born in 1940 in Charleston, West Virginia. Ferling grew up in Texas City, Texas. Ferling attended Sam Houston State University, and later received a master's degree in history from Baylor University. He earned his Ph.D. in history from West Virginia University in 1971. John Ferling taught for 39 years, mostly at the University of West Georgia. Ferling retired from teaching to spend more time writing.
Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
Fraunces Tavern Book Award
Outstanding Retired Faculty
Publications
Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence
The Loyalist Mind: Joseph Galloway and the American Revolution
A Wilderness of Miseries: War and Warriors in Early America
The First of Men: A Life of George Washington
Struggle for a Continent: The Wars of Early America
John Adams: A Life
Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution
A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic
Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800
The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon
Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free (published June 21, 2011)
Jefferson and Hamilton: "The Rivalry That Forged A Nation"*
Whirlwind: the American Revolution and the War that Won It.
The public source identifies “John E. Ferling” as historian. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around John, Ferling and historian.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6230730. VIAF identifies the subject as 71427522. The Library of Congress control number is n79125891. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1940, 1971, 1800 and 2011.
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This entry incorporates text from “John E. Ferling” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.