Description
Book SynopsisConspiracy theories have been a part of the American experience since colonial times. This anthology provides students with documents relating to some of the important conspiracy theories in American history and politics, some based on reality, many chiefly on paranoia. It looks at a persistent and troubling aspect of democratic society.
Trade ReviewIn this primary source collection of conspiracy theories through six stages of US history, objective editors interested in exploring the phenomena argue that insecurities during rapidly changing times encourage suspicions and irrational conspiracies. The first stage looks at the post-Revolutionary era Federalist belief in a Jeffersonian conspiracy to support French radicalism, the Burr western land plot, and Masonic support of Andrew Jackson's presidency. Stage two surveys anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon, and anti-national bank sentiment. Stage three focuses on abolitionists and slave power conspiracies. The fourth stage reviews the Red Scare, robber baron capitalism, racism, anti-Semitism, and isolationism. Stage five concentrates on the Cold War era, space aliens, and the 1960s assassinations. Stage six looks at more contemporary issues related to globalization and the new world order, the AIDS conspiracy thesis, and terrorism. The editors touch on a few additional assorted conspiracies throughout. The work compares favorably to Richard Hofstadter's The Paranoid Style in American Politics (CH, Mar'66), Robert Goldberg's Enemies Within, (Jun'02, 39-6001), and Mark Fenster's Conspiracy Theories (1999). Summing Up: Recommended. All academic levels/libraries.
-- S. Prisco III * Choice *
[O]bjective editors interested in exploring the phenomena argue that insecurities during rapidly changing times encourage suspicions and irrational conspiracies. . . . Recommended.May 2009
* Choice *
Table of ContentsContents
Introduction
Section 1. Conspiracy in a New Nation
Section 2. Conspiracy in an Age of Democracy
Section 3. Conspiracy in a Divided Nation
Section 4. Conspiracy in the Industrial Age through the New Deal
Section 5. Conspiracy in the Cold War Era
Section 6. Conspiracy in Contemporary America
For Further Reading
Index
