American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence Paperback - 1998
by Pauline Maier
Drawing upon dozens of other "declarations of independence" written to protest the repression of the colonies by King George III, as well as carefully analyzing the drafts of the Declaration signed on July 4, 1776, Maier reveals the extent to which Jefferson's words and ideas were indebted to popular political beliefs.
First line
THE DELEGATES' LONG, slow journey from Massachussetts to Pennsylvania need not have been made.
From the jacket flap
Pauline Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be -- from the Declaration's birth in the hard and tortuous struggle by which Americans arrived at Independence to the ways in which, in the nineteenth century, the document itself became sanctified.
Maier describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it, and with more authority than the colonists would ever have conceded to the British Parliament; the great difficulty in making the decision for Independence; the influence of Paine's "Common Sense, which shifted the terms of debate; and the political maneuvers that allowed Congress to make the momentous decision. In Maier's hands, the Declaration of Independence is brought close to us. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in the other "declarations" of 1776: the local resolutions -- most of which have gone unnoticed over the past two centuries -- that explained, advocated, and justified Independence and undergirded Congress's work. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson.
Maier also reveals what happened to the Declaration after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and, most important, how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in Americansociety. Finally, she shows how by the very act of venerating the Declaration as we do -- by holding it as sacrosanct, akin to holy writ -- we may actually be betraying its purpose and its power.
Details
- Title American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
- Author Pauline Maier
- Binding Paperback
- Edition [ Edition: Repri
- Pages 336
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Vintage, New York, New York, U.S.A.
- Date May 26, 1998
- ISBN 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Weight 0.55 lbs (0.25 kg)
- Dimensions 8.04 x 5.32 x 0.73 in (20.42 x 13.51 x 1.85 cm)
-
Themes
- Chronological Period: 18th Century
- Library of Congress subjects United States, United States - Politics and government -
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 97002769
- Dewey Decimal Code 973.313
Media reviews
Citations
- New York Times, 07/05/1998, Page 20
More Copies for Sale
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
by Add Maier, Pauline
- Used
- Condition
- UsedGood
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
- Item Price
-
$1.25$3.99 shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
by Maier, Pauline
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Houston, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.17FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
by Maier, Pauline
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
- Item Price
-
$5.17FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Pauline Maier
- Used
- Acceptable
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Acceptable
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.19FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Pauline Maier
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.19FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Pauline Maier
- Used
- good
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 4
- Seller
-
Seattle, Washington, United States
- Item Price
-
$6.23FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Maier, Pauline
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 2
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
$7.09FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Maier, Pauline
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
$7.21FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
by Pauline Maier
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- Used: Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
-
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
- Item Price
-
$7.53FREE shipping to USA
Show Details
American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence
by Maier, Pauline
- Used
- Condition
- Used - Good
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780679779087 / 0679779086
- Quantity Available
- 3
- Seller
-
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
- Item Price
-
$7.58FREE shipping to USA