Description
Book SynopsisHow did party opposition become a regular and "normal" feature of the American political landscape? Jeffrey S. Selinger tells a story of political transformation in the United States and offers a much-needed historical perspective on the challenges of governance in a polarized nation.
Trade Review"A smart, thoughtful, and interesting book, full of insightful details and empirical findings. Jeffrey S. Selinger moves between American political development and American political thought with ease and intelligence at every turn." * Paul Frymer, Princeton University *
"This fine book draws attention to an overlooked problem in the study of the historical development of political parties; namely, that the nature of parties turns in part on the nature of political divisions. Jeffrey Selinger argues persuasively that parties took on greater legitimacy as they came to be perceived as less of a threat of domestic violence or division-indeed, that developing the capacity to stop the threat of partisan violence was itself a developmental project." * Daniel Klinghard, College of the Holy Cross *
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Legitimate Party Opposition and the Early American State
Chapter 2. Economic Collapse and the Constitutional Construction of Party Politics
Chapter 3. The French Revolutionary Wars and the Ordeal of America's First Party System
Chapter 4. The Second Party System and the Politics of Displacing Conflict
Chapter 5. Union, Emancipation, and Party Building as Military Strategy
Chapter 6. Redrawing the Limits of Legitimate Party Opposition: Party Politics and Its Discontents at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Epilogue. Party Legitimacy, Then and Now
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
