Description
Book SynopsisThrough a variety of primary sources--including speeches, poems, magazine articles, and book excerpts--this collection illustrates the origins, ambitions, and political legacy of the American Progressivism movement (18861924). A general introduction offers a history of the movement and a brief discussion of recent historiographical debates; headnotes introduce each selection and provide historical and political context.
Eldon Eisenach, one of the most perceptive scholars of American progressivism, has brought together in this fine collection both standard and unfamiliar sources that will give historians, political scientists, and their undergraduate and graduate students access to a wide range of voices from--and reliable guidance to the voluminous secondary sources on--the era of progressive reform. --James Kloppenberg, Harvard University
Eisenach has assembled an impressive collection of primary sources . . . that leaves readers with a good sense of the movement, the ideas, and the people who come with the label 'Progressive.' . . . The beauty of Eisenach's book is that he lets the Progressives speak for themselves. . . . His introductory remarks to each section are excellent, as are his offerings of further readings. That his selections are able to speak to the complexity of the times without reducing or overly simplifying his or their arguments is also of note. . . . Thus, this book is perfect for both the bookshelves and the classroom. --Jason S. Lantzer, Indiana University-Indianapolis, for H-Net Reviews
The Introduction to this collection opens by warning us that 'It is important to understand Progressivism…correctly.' No scholar is better poised than Professor Eisenach to help us do just that; students of the Progressive Era are familiar with and indebted to his remarkable thinking and scholarship about the period. In The Social and Political Thought of American Progressivism, Eisenach has used his great understanding to bring together in one volume a series of well chosen and helpfully organized selections of Progressive writings to display the breadth, complexity, and depth of the thought from this era. Students and teachers of American politics and history will benefit greatly from this collection, as they will from the author's illuminating introductory materials and excellent bibliographies. --Robert Pepperman Taylor, University of Vermont
