Liberty and Equality by S Adam Seagrave
Alexis de Tocqueville, one of the greatest commentators on the American political tradition, viewed it through the lens of two related ideas: liberty and equality. These ideas, so eloquently framed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, have remained inextricably and uniquely conjoined in American political thought: equality isunderstood as the equal possession of natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. By considering American reflections on these core ideas over time—in relation to constitutional principles, religion, and race—this volume provides an especially insightful perspective for understanding our political tradition. The book is at once a summary of American history told through ideas and an inquiry into the ideas of liberty and equality through the lens of American history. To a remarkable extent, American politics has always been thoughtful and American thought has always been political. In these pages, we see how some of our greatest minds have grappled with the issues of liberty and equality: Tocqueville and Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton as Publius in The Federalist, James Madison, George Washington, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln debating Stephen Douglas, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. In essays responding to these primary sources, some of today’s finest scholars take up topics critical to the American experiment in liberal democracy—political inequality, federalism, the separation of powers, the relationship between religion and politics, the history of slavery and the legacy of racism. Together these essays and sources help to clarify the character, content, and significance of American political thought taken as awhole. They illuminate and continue the conversation that has animated and distinguished the American political tradition from the beginning—and, hopefully, better equip readers to contribute to that conversation.
“A novel combination of primary sources and accessible essays, Liberty and Equality captures the unique blend of politics and philosophy at the heart of American political thought and situates it within the history of political philosophy” George Thomas, author of The Founders and the Idea of a National University: Constituting the American Mind
“By moving between primary documents and insightful contemporary interpretations, this volume gives readers a deep understanding of how the history of American political thought might illuminate an understanding of American politics today.” Russell Muirhead, Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics, Dartmouth College.
“By moving between primary documents and insightful contemporary interpretations, this volume gives readers a deep understanding of how the history of American political thought might illuminate an understanding of American politics today.” Russell Muirhead, Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics, Dartmouth College.
S. Adam Seagrave is assistant professor of political science at Northern Illinois University and managing editor of American Political Thought. He is the author of The Foundations of Natural Morality: On the Compatibility of Natural Rights and the Natural Law.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780700621743 |
| ISBN 10 | 0700621741 |
| Title | Liberty and Equality |
| Author | S Adam Seagrave |
| Series | American Political Thought |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University Press of Kansas |
| Year published | 2015-09-09 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |