The Roots of Radicalism: Tradition, the Public Sphere, and Early Nineteenth-Century Social Movements

A comprehensive history of the origins of the varied radical movements that rose to prominence in the 1800s and their relevance to modern protests.

The story of the rise of radicalism in the early nineteenth century has often been simplified into a fable about progressive social change. The diverse social movements of the era—religious, political, regional, national, antislavery, and protemperance—are presented as mere strands in a unified tapestry of labor and democratic mobilization. Takin...