The Roots of Democracy: American Thought and Culture, 1760-1800

by Robert E. Shalhope

Overview

Shalhope (history, University of Oklahoma) surveys the conflicts of the period, showing how colonists who thought they were building a culture comparable to England's found themselves caught up in revolution and how revolutionaries who cherished visions of republican stability were unable to stifle tendencies leading toward a democratic culture. In addition to political thought, he analyzes developments in law, religion, art, literature, and education, and asks how the revolutionary era affected women, Indians, artisans, and slaves. B&w historical illustrations are included. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805790566
Publisher:	Cengage Gale
Publication date:	12/28/1989
Series:	American Thought and Culture Series
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Robert E. Shalhope is George Lynn Cross Research Professor in the Department of History at Oklahoma University.

Table of Contents

	About the Author
	Foreword
	Preface
	Acknowledgments
	Chronology
1	The Old Order in America	1
2	Revolutionary Republicanism	27
3	The Arts in the New Republic	53
4	The Creation of Republican Governments	83
5	A Republican Culture	112
6	The Emergence of a Democratic Society	139
	Epilogue	167
	Notes and References	169
	Bibliographic Essay	179
	Index	185

Editorial Reviews

This is a fascinating, well-crafted, and much-needed book. Shalhope sums up the best current research on the origins of early national thought and culture in the United States, showing the inextricable relationship of republicanism and liberalism in our democratic heritage. The book is wide-ranging, thoughtful, and extremely well-written.

Stanley N. Katz

A sophisticated and significant synthesis of recent scholarship on the ideology and values of America's Age of Revolution. Exploring culture as 'systems of meaning,' [Shalhope] skillfully charts the simultaneous disintegration of traditional hierarchical norms and the rise of ambitious materialism and individualism in the decades 1760-1800. This book is a valuable tool for both the scholar and the teacher.

Steven Watts

Robert E. Shalhope. .. demonstrates how this critical transition period was marked by the creative intermingling of traditional hierarchical and modern egalitarian attitudes and patterns of behavior, preparing the way for the emergence of a dynamic culture in the nineteenth century. This is a stimulating and rewarding synthesis.

James H. Kettner

Robert E. Shalhope's book, the work of a leading scholar on forms of American republican thought, is a deftly expert and up-to-date summary, especially successful in relating socioeconomic to intellectual and cultural elements.

Marcus Cunliffe

Robert E. Shalhope . . . demonstrates how this critical transition period was marked by the creative intermingling of traditional hierarchical and modern egalitarian attitudes and patterns of behavior, preparing the way for the emergence of a dynamic culture in the nineteenth century. This is a stimulating and rewarding synthesis.--James H. Kettner, University of California, Berkeley

This is a fascinating, well-crafted, and much-needed book. Shalhope sums up the best current research on the origins of early national thought and culture in the United States, showing the inextricable relationship of republicanism and liberalism in our democratic heritage. The book is wide-ranging, thoughtful, and extremely well-written.--Stanley N. Katz, Princeton University

A sophisticated and significant synthesis of recent scholarship on the ideology and values of America's Age of Revolution. Exploring culture as 'systems of meaning, ' [Shalhope] skillfully charts the simultaneous disintegration of traditional hierarchical norms and the rise of ambitious materialism and individualism in the decades 1760-1800. This book is a valuable tool for both the scholar and the teacher.--Steven Watts, University of Missouri-Columbia

From the Publisher