The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln

by Wilentz, Sean

Description

W. W. Norton. Hardcover. 0393058204 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New.

Book summary

In this very rich and engaging history, Sean Wilentz recounts the contentious debates among the many conflicting constituencies that vied for power across the new republic as he traces the growth of government of, by, and for the people from the period just after the Founding Fathers up to the Civil War. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln are the beginning and end points of this lively, jam-packed brew, and Andrew Jackson is shown to have been a central figure in the shaping and defining of American democracy. Wilentz's colorful tapestry draws on politics, religion, legislation, local and national events, political parties, and the issues of slavery, expansion, and war--but mostly on people as they speak up and organize to get what they want. Wilentz provides fresh views of three presidents, deepens our understanding of how North and South took different paths, clarifies terms, and thickens our knowledge of American history. THE RISE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 2005.