Two Nations, Indivisible: A History of Inequality in America

by Jamie L. Bronstein

Overview

While examining the arguments made in favor of egalitarianism, this book debunks the notion that the United States is now or has ever been a nation offering equal opportunity to all.

• Exposes the extent to which inequality exists—and has always existed—in the United States

• Traces the deep roots of the American concern about inequality and the ways in which that concern has taken different forms over time, from the movement for free homesteads, to the Populist movement, to the Progressives, to the career of Huey Long, to Occupy Wall Street

• Blends intellectual, social, and political history to explore arguments for and against equality of opportunity and equality of condition

• Shows the impact of such arguments at various levels of politics

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440838293
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/17/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	215
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Jamie L. Bronstein, PhD, is professor of history at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 The American Revolution and Equality 1

Chapter 2 Workingmen, Land, and the Age of Jackson: 1829-1865 17

Chapter 3 Free Tabor and Social Darwinism: 1865-1900 35

Chapter 4 Liberalism in the Age of Monopoly: 1900-1929 57

Chapter 5 Challenge from the Left: 1929-1945 77

Chapter 6 The Great Compression and the War on Poverty: 1945-1979 97

Chapter 7 The Triumph of Neoliberalism: 1979-1999 117

Chapter 8 The New Inequality and the Lessons of the Past: 1999-Present 133

Notes 155

Select Bibliography 197

Index 209