Nature and History in American Political Development

by James W CEASER, Jack Rakove, Nancy L Rosenblum, Rogers M Smith

Overview

In this inaugural volume of the Alexis de Tocqueville Lectures, James Ceaser traces the way certain "foundational" ideas—including nature, history, and religion—have been understood and used over the course of American history. Ceaser treats these ideas as elements of political discourse that provide the ground for other political ideas, such as liberty or equality. Three critical commentators challenge Ceaser's arguments, and a spirited debate about large and enduring questions in American politics ensues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674029309
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	06/30/2009
Series:	The Alexis de Tocqueville lectures on American politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	239
File size:	315 KB

About the Author

Theda Skocpol is Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. Her previous works include the prize-winning States and Social Revolutions.

Jack N. Rakove is the William R. Coe Professor of History and American Studies and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution.

Table of Contents

Contents Foreword by Theda R. Skocpol 1. Foundational Concepts and American Political Development 2. Can We Know a Foundational Idea When We See One? 3. Replacing Foundations with Staging: “Second-Story” Concepts and American Political Development 4. What If God Was One of Us? The Challenges of Studying Foundational Political Concepts 5. Foundational Concepts Reconsidered Notes About the Authors Index