Description

Book Synopsis
A panoramic history of American individualism from its nineteenth-century origins to today's bitterly divided politicsIndividualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights against unwanted intrusion, be it from big government, big corporations, or intolerant majorities. The Roots of American Individualism traces the origins of individualist ideas to the turbulent political controversies of the Jacksonian era (18201850) and explores their enduring influence on American politics and culture. Alex Zakaras plunges readers into the spirited and rancorous political debates of Andrew Jackson's America, drawing on the stump speeches, newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and sermons that captivated mass audiences and shaped partisan identities. He shows how these debates popularized three powerful myths that celebrated the young nation as an exce

Trade Review
"Winner of the Best Book Award, American Political Thought Section of the American Political Science Association"
"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

The Roots of American Individualism

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    A Hardback by Alex Zakaras

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      Book details

      Publisher Princeton University Press
      Published 11 October 2022
      ISBN-13 9780691226316
      978-0691226316
      ISBN-10 0691226318
      Also in:
      History of the Americas History of ideas Political ideologies and movements

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      A panoramic history of American individualism from its nineteenth-century origins to today's bitterly divided politicsIndividualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights against unwanted intrusion, be it from big government, big corporations, or intolerant majorities. The Roots of American Individualism traces the origins of individualist ideas to the turbulent political controversies of the Jacksonian era (18201850) and explores their enduring influence on American politics and culture. Alex Zakaras plunges readers into the spirited and rancorous political debates of Andrew Jackson's America, drawing on the stump speeches, newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and sermons that captivated mass audiences and shaped partisan identities. He shows how these debates popularized three powerful myths that celebrated the young nation as an exce

      Trade Review
      "Winner of the Best Book Award, American Political Thought Section of the American Political Science Association"
      "A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

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