The Genius of American Politics / Edition 1

by Daniel J. Boorstin

Overview

How much of our political tradition can be absorbed and used by other peoples? Daniel Boorstin's answer to this question has been chosen by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for representation in American Panorama as one of the 350 books, old and new, most descriptive of life in the United States. He describes the uniqueness of American thought and explains, after a close look at the American past, why we have not produced and are not likely to produce grand political theories or successful propaganda. He also suggests what our attitudes must be toward ourselves and other countries if we are to preserve our institutions and help others to improve theirs.

". . . a fresh and, on the whole, valid interpretation of American political life."—Reinhold Niebuhr, New Leader

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226064918
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	10/15/1958
Series:	Walgreen Foundation Lectures
Edition description:	Digital Reprint
Pages:	210
Sales rank:	247,962
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Daniel J. Boorstin, the former Librarian of Congress, is the author of The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson and is the editor of An American Primer and the series, The Chicago History of American Civilization.

Table of Contents

Introduction
I. How Belief in the Existence of an American Theory Has Made a Theory Superfluous
II. The Puritans: From Providence to Pride
III. The American Revolution: Revolution without Dogma
IV. The Civil War and the Spirit of Compromise
V. The Mingling of Political and Religious Thought
VI. Our Cultural Hypochondria and How To Cure It
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index