The Rise of American Democracy/Sean Wilentz
Several books have linked the promise of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence to the resolve of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The correlation is the Declaration's promise that all men are created equal and the Address' determination to make that proposition ring more true after the bloody crucible of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Historian Garry Wills' "Lincoln at Gettysburg" makes this case, based primarily on a study of Lincoln's word choices in the Address. Pauline Maier's "American Scripture," on the other hand, implies that Lincoln's Address, and his policies, didn't so much reinforce the promise of the Declaration but shanghaied it to give constitutional weight to the proposition of equality. Sean Wilentz's "The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln" also looks at the rhetoric and documents, but this massive tome spends most of its bulk on every aspect of American politics and society that came during Jefferson's penning of the Declaration up to Lincoln's presidency. Through meticulous research and detail, Wilentz charts the convoluted course of how the United States went from being a partially slave-owning republic with the vague promise, in a non-constitutional document, that all men are created equal (as long as they were white, male landowners) to a sprawling democracy where still only white males could vote, but the wheels were set into motion for a more universal participation in the American government and American possibilities. Wilentz looks at the changing nature of electing American presidents in this era as more states go from the legislature determining support for a candidate to residents voting for a presidential choice; the move from a Hamiltonian federalist aristocracy to Jeffersonian republicanism; the rise of organized labor as an economic and political force; the democratic appeal of Andrew Jackson, whose presidency marked a sea change in the development of an American democracy; the different ideals of what makes a democracy from growing divisions in the North and South. Wilentz looks under every pertinent stone in his pursuit to chart the growing democracy movement from the age of Jefferson to Lincoln. Still, he creates a readable and cohesive narrative throughout this volume. Do not step into "The Rise of American Democracy" lightly, however. It is an overwhelming book of approximately 800 crowded pages of narrative followed by more than 200 additional pages of footnotes, sources, and index. Anyone wishing to delve into a solid, researched volume on how the United States went from the revolution of 1776 to the new democratic revolution of the Civil War, Sean Wilentz has the book for you.
Books
December 19, 2005
The Rise of American Democracy/Sean Wilentz
- Books
-
-
Author uses experience to create a Christian thriller
A traumatic experience inspired Maria S. Sakry to pen her first novel, “The Darkest Night.”
-
Winston Churchill/John Keegan
This short volume on the life and times of Winston Churchill is insightful. Historian John Keegan opens the book with personal observations concerning the then-youthful post-World War II generations ambivalent attitude toward the blustery prime minister who led Britain through the conflict and the discovery that he is held in greater esteem in the United States than in England.
-
Book Review: Duma Key by Stephen King
It is tempting to simply write: Stephen King goes to the beach. In some ways that tells you almost everything you need to know about this book.
-
Books: The Best of Robert E. Howard: Volume 2 Grim Lands
-
Books: Of Lightning and Thunder
-
VFD fights house fire
- Book Review - RANDOM THOUGHTS Several years ago, Dr. Louis Schmier felt compelled to write an essay. Writing was nothing new for the Valdosta State history professor. He’d written books, such as “Valdosta & Lowndes County: A Ray in the Sunbelt.”
- NIGHT/Elie Wiesel This thin, first-person account of one man’s chilling experiences during the Holocaust has been around for nearly 50 years.
- Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt/Anne Rice Anyone who has ever read a few Anne Rice novels will be familiar with the set-up of this book: A first-person narrative, violent events shaping the pace of events while serving as a catalyst for the development of the main character, the protagonist’s wonder at things both material and spiritual, hard realities and often harder supernatural occurrences.
- The Orientalist/Tom Reiss Author Tom Reiss embarks on a search for the true identity of the early 20th century author Kurban Said, who wrote the miniature masterpiece novel “Ali and Nino.
- More Books Headlines
-
