Dreams of a More Perfect Union

Rogan Kersh

ISBN 10: 0801489806 / ISBN 13: 9780801489808

Edité par Cornell University Press Dez 2004, 2004

A propos de cet article

Neuware - In a brilliantly conceived and elegantly written book, Rogan Kersh investigates the idea of national union in the United States. For much of the period between the colonial era and the late nineteenth century, he shows, 'union' was the principal rhetorical means by which Americans expressed shared ideals and a common identity without invoking strong nationalism or centralized governance. Through his exploration of how Americans once succeeded in uniting a diverse and fragmented citizenry, Kersh revives a long-forgotten source of U.S. national identity.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9780801489808

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Dreams of a More Perfect Union
• Éditeur: Cornell University Press Dez 2004
• Date de parution: 2004
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 0801489806
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9780801489808
• Reliure: Taschenbuch
• État de l'article: Neu
• Dimensions: 228 L x 148 H x 23 P (en millimètres) 228 millimètres de largeur par 148 millimètres de hauteur par 23 millimètres de profondeur
• Poids: 514 grammes

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

In a brilliantly conceived and elegantly written book, Rogan Kersh investigates the idea of national union in the United States. For much of the period between the colonial era and the late nineteenth century, he shows, "union" was the principal rhetorical means by which Americans expressed shared ideals and a common identity without invoking strong nationalism or centralized governance. Through his exploration of how Americans once succeeded in uniting a diverse and fragmented citizenry, Kersh revives a long-forgotten source of U.S. national identity.

Why and how did Americans perceive themselves as one people from the early history of the republic? How did African Americans and others at the margins of U.S. civic culture apply this concept of union? Why did the term disappear from vernacular after the 1880s? In his search for answers, Kersh employs a wide range of methods, including political-theory analysis of writings by James Madison, Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln and empirical analysis drawing on his own extensive database of American newspapers. The author's findings are persuasive--and often surprising. One intriguing development, for instance, was a strong resurgence of union feelings among Southerners--including prominent former secessionists--after the Civil War.

With its fascinating and novel approach, Dreams of a More Perfect Union offers valuable insights about American political history, especially the rise of nationalism and federalism. Equally important, the author's close retracing of the religious, institutional, and other themes coloring the development of unionist thought unveils new knowledge about the origination and transmittal of ideas in a polity.

À propos de l?auteur

Rogan Kersh is Assciate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He is coeditor of Medical Malpractice and the U.S. Health Care System: New Century, Different Issues.