The Roots of American Individualism: Political Myth in the Age of Jackson

A panoramic history of American individualism from its nineteenth-century origins to today’s bitterly divided politics

Individualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights against unwanted intrusion, be it from big government, big corporations, or intolerant majorities. The Roots of American Individualism traces the origins of individualist ideas t...