Bruce Watson

Bruce Watson, best known for his critically-acclaimed works Freedom Summer, Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, The Murders, and The Judgment of Mankind, and Bread and Roses, lives in Western Massachusetts. He received a master's degree in American history from the University of Massachusetts, and worked as a journalist, an elementary school teacher, and a Peace Corps volunteer.

Photo: Julie Kumble / New York Times (2007)

Articles by this Contributor

Sargent York | Fall 2018

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The President and the Lunatic | Spring 2011

After assassinating President Garfield, a lunatic gunman mounted an insanity defense, which the jury--and the nation--rejected despite compelling evidence to the contrary Read >>

The Summer Of Our Discontent | Summer 2010

Although marred by the grisly murders of three young activists, the Freedom Summer of 1964 brought revolutionary changes to Mississippi and the nation Read >>

"Web only stories" by this contributor

The Gentle Wit of Robert Benchley

Bruce Watson is a historian and biographer, and author of seven books and an online magazine, The Attic. With this post, Bruce begins a featured blog for American Heritage. In his inaugural essay, he profiles humorist Robert Benchley (1889-1945), a frequent writer for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair… Read more >>