In more than 230 years of statehood, the United States has created its own distinctive way of living and governing--a way which its citizens cherish, but about whose essence, for want of definition, they frequently disagree. Charles Beard offered, in a synthesis of his life work, a permanent statement on the nature of the American Republic.

To carry out his purpose, Beard discusses, among other subjects, the making of one nation out of many peoples and nationalities, the letter and the spirit of the Constitution, the rights and liberties of citizens, the theory of checks and balances, the role of political parties, the Republic in the world of nations, and the coming fate and fortune of America. Above all, he deals philosophically with the eternal conflict between power and freedom, security and liberty.

In form, the book is a series of conversations among friends. The author and two public-spirited citizens carry the main burden of the discourse, and other figures are introduced to present special but prevailing points of view. In this way the reader not only feels that he is participating in a search for the truth, but discovers that his own point of view has here an able sponsor. Beard has taken a theme of majestic scope and presented it in terms that are warm and human and immediately relevant.

About the Author
Charles A. Beard (1874-1948) is regarded as one of the most influential American historians in the first half of the twentieth century. He is famous for his evaluation of the founding fathers of the United States in which he believed were motivated by economics as opposed to philosophical principals. Some of his works include An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy, and The Administration and Politics of Tokyo. Clyde W. Barrow is Chancellor Professor in the Policy Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth where he also serves as director of the Center of Policy Analysis. His works include More than a Historian: The Political and Economic Thought of Charles A. Beard, Economic Impacts of the Textile and Apparel Industries in Massachusetts, and Globalisation, Trade Liberalisation, and Higher Education in North America: The Emergence of a New Market Under NAFTA? (with Sylvie Didou-Aupetit and John Mallea).


Book Information
ISBN 9781412808033
Author Ronald V. Clarke
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 521g