ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE

Spring 2002

 

American Political Thought (PS 329)                                          W. Wesley McDonald

T-Th  12:30-1:45                                                                             Office: Nicarry 223

Nicarry Room 201                                                                           Phone: 361-1306

Office Hours:  T-Th 11-11:30, 2-4; MWF 12:30-1:30                 mailto:mcdonaldw@etown.edu

Home page: http://users.etown.edu/m/mcdonaldw/

 

Syllabus

 

A.  Course Texts

 

Alan Pendleton Grimes, American Political Thought  (Washington, DC: University Press, rev. ed. 1984)

 

Hamilton, Madison & Jay,  The Federalists Papers (Bantham Books, 1982)

 

B.  Course Objectives

 

The course will examine the principal ideas and thinkers that have influenced the tradition of American political thought from the colonial period until the present time.

 

C.  Course Description

 

After an introductory examination of the basic characteristics of American political thought, we will trace the tradition of American political ideas from the Puritans to the Twentieth Century through a study of the works of major representative thinkers.  Special attention will be devoted to the founding principles of the American Republic.  A major focus of the course, therefore, will be the founding principles of the American Republic as revealed through the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Federalist Papers. 

 

D.  Requirements of the Course

 

  1. Examinations and Required Readings

        a.  Mid-term and final examination.

                    b.  In preparation for examinations and class discussions, the student is expected to complete all required class reading assignments on time.

  2. Term Paper

 a. A paper of analysis and criticism of one of the major American political thinkers or ideas discussed in    this course is required.

            b. The length of the paper shall be approximately ten pages.

            c. The choice of the topic is open, contingent upon the approval of the instructor.

            d.  Some suggested paper topics

                1)     “The Principle of Majority Rule in The Federalist Papers.”

                2)     “John Adams and the Role of the Aristocracy.”

                3)     “John C. Calhoun’s Doctrine of States Rights.”

                4)     “The Influence of the Social Gospel on the Thought of Martin Luther King.”

 e.  On   February 14, a typewritten formal proposal for the term paper is due.  This proposal will include: the topic of the paper, a basic outline of the paper (that is, what does the paper wish to prove


and how does it intend to go about making its point), and, lastly, a bibliography of primary and secondary works.  No credit will be given for late proposals.

 f.  The proposals will be returned to the student within a week with comments and suggestions.  If the proposal is unacceptable, in the instructor’s opinion, (confusing, incoherent, too ambitious, or just plain silly), then the student is expected to make appropriate revisions.  Students are encouraged to seek the assistance and guidance from the instructor as work on their papers progresses.

 g.  Final drafts of the paper must be typewritten (no exceptions) and must conform to the University of Çhicago Manual of Style.  A precis of the Manual is available in Kate L. Turabian,  A Manual for Writers (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).  Also, the student should realize that copying is plagiarism.  A term paper must be in the student’s own words.  A verbatim transcription of the words of others is unacceptable even if the sources are cited.

h.  All papers are due April 25.  Late papers will be reduced one grade for each day late. 

  3. Grading

The final grade will be based upon:

            Final examination . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      35 points

            Mid-term examination . . . . . . . . . . .     25 points

            Term paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .      25 points

            Class participation & Attendance . . .    10 points

            Term paper proposal . . . . . . . . . . . .    05 points

     4. Attendance:       The student will be held responsible on the examination for all lectures and classroom discussions.  In addition, unexcused class absences will result in a reduction in the class participation grade. 

    5.  Examinations:    Examinations will be solely composed of short answer, identification and essay questions.  Examination questions will be designed to test the student’s ability to apprehend and deal analytically with political ideas.  If the student should miss the mid-term examination, there will be NO make-ups.  The final examination will be counted automatically as a double grade.  It is suggested that the student not test the tolerance of the instructor by failing to show for the final examination.  Only the most extraordinary excuse will be considered unless the instructor is consulted before the date of the examination.

 

E..Course Outline

Assignments

I.          Introduction

            a.  Outline of course objectives

b.  What is American political thought?  What do we hope to gain by a study of the American political tradition?  What will the study of American political thought tell us about contemporary politics and society?

            c.  Is there an American political tradition?

 

II.  The Character of American Political Thought          

            a.  Is American political thought second-rate?

            b.  The influence of classical political thought.

            c.  Is political philosophy useless to Americans?

d.  Are the American political traditions exportable?  Is the American form of government a model for the world?

            e.  Required reading:    Grimes, Chapter 3,     Federalist, Numbers 1, 2, 6.

 

 III.  The Political Heritage of the Puritans:  Charters, Covenants, and “The City on the Hill”

            a. The Theocratic Experiment

            b. Anne Hutchison and the challenge of antinomianism to the priestly rule

            c. Federal Theology and the contract theory.


            d. Roger Williams and the argument for religious tolerance.

            e. The decline of the “City on the Hill.”

            f.  Required reading:  Grimes, Chapters 1-2; Federalist, Numbers 9 - 10

                        Please check on these links and read:

                                    Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641)

                                    Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1638-39)

 

IV. The American Revolution and the Rights of Englishmen

            a. Major issues of the Revolution

            b. Unique character of the American revolution - “Not a revolution made, but a revolution prevented.”

            c.  Sam Adams—agitator for the rights of the American colonists.

            d. Tom Paine and the rights of man - propagandist for revolution

            e.  The principles of the Declaration of Independence - an egalitarian document?

            f.  Required Reading:  Grimes, Chapters 4 and 5; The Declaration of Independence

Federalist, Numbers 14-17, 21-23; Samuel Adams– Click on the link to look at a searchable webpage of his works

 

V.  The Articles of Confederation and the Political Principles of the Founding Fathers

          a. The Articles of Confederation - its inadequacy - “the mortal disease.”

          b. The movement toward correcting the defects in the Articles.

          c. Shay’s Rebellion (1786) and its political repercussions.

          d. The Philadelphia Convention - a study in the ideas and plans of the delegates.

          e. The Constitution - a derailment of the democratic principles of The Declaration of Independence?

          f.  Required Reading:   Grimes, Chapter 6; The Articles of Confederation; The Constitution; Federalist, Nos. 37-41

 

VI.  “To remedy the defects of popular government” - The Federalist Defends Republicanism

          a. Insufficiency of the Articles - the need for a more durable union

          b.Why did the Founders oppose a pure democratic form of government?

          c. Separation of powers.

          d. Is the republic a national or federal entity?

          e. What makes American federalism unique?.

          f. The dual character of The Federalist:  Madison and Hamilton.

          g. Required Reading:   Federalist, Numbers 45-51, 52, 62, 68-69

              Optional Reading:

                        Use the Thomas search engine to look up words in Federalist Papers.

                        John P. Roche, “The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action.”

                                      The American Political Science Review, LV, 4 (Dec., 1961), pp. 799-816.

                        Martin Diamond, “Democracy and The Federalist: A Reconsideration of the Framers’ Intent,”

                                       The American Political Science Review LIII (March, 1959), pp 52-68.

 

VII.  Federalism versus Jeffersonianism

      a.   The struggle between Nation-Centered and State-Centered Federalism

       b.  The equality of man and the rights of man.

       c.  John Adams and liberty under the law.

       d.  Jefferson vs. Hamilton.

       e.  John Marshall and judicial review.

       f.   James Madison - the Republican statesman.

       g.  John Taylor: Doctrinaire Agararian.

       h.  Required Reading:  Grimes, Chapter 7;

                        Federalist, Numbers 78,  84-85

 

VIII. “Fire Bell in the Night”:  Slavery and the Question of States’ Rights.

      a.   John Randolph of Roanoke invokes States’ Rights as a guarantor of liberty.

      b.   John C. Calhoun and the concurrent majority.

      c.   Alexis de Tocqueville on the tyranny of the majority, warns against the despotism of       equality.

      d.   Orestes Brownson sees the Catholic Church as a restrain on the excesses of democracy.

      e.   Jacksonianism and the rise of the common man.

      f.  Required Reading:  Grimes, Chapters 8, 9, 12

                       

IX.  Ante-Bellum Political Thought - Critics of Democracy

      a.  James Fenimore Cooper defends agrarian aristocracy.

      b. Nathaniel Hawthorne restores the doctrine of sin to the American mind.

      c.   George Fitzhugh defends slavery.

      d.   Henry David Thoreau’s individualism.

      e.   William Lloyd Garrison and Abraham Lincoln on the anti-slavery issue.

      f.  Required reading: Grimes, Chapters 10-11

                       

X.  Gilded Age:  Social Darwinism and the Gospel of Wealth

        a. Herbert Spencer’s influence on doctrine of social Darwinism.

        b. William Graham Sumner’s massive impact on Nineteenth Century American political thinking.

        c. Gospel of Wealth preaches the Christian duty of each man to accumulate wealth.

        d.  Required reading:  Grimes, Chapter  13

 

 XI.  Critics of Social Darwinism

        a. Socialists.

            1. Lester Frank Ward - on sociocracy.

            2. Edward Bellamy - Looking Backward.

            3. Henry George - the single tax proposal.

       b.  Social Gospel.

            1. Walter Rauschenbusch.

            2. George Herron.

                  c.   Satirist and Social Critic--Thorstein Veblen attacks plutocracy.

        c. Conservatives

            1. Henry Adams - on the degradation of the democratic dogma.

            2. Brooks Adams - civilization and energy.

                   Required reading:  Grimes, Chapter 14, pp. 489-494.

                                                           

  XII.  Progressivism, Pragmatism, and the Triumph of the Technological Spirit

            a. Progressivism and pragmatism.

            b. The pragmatists: Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey.

            c. The Humanist reaction to pragmatism: Irving Babbitt and Paul Elmer More.

            d.  Required reading:  Grimes, Chapters 15 and 17, pp. 494-505.

                                                           

 XIII.  Recent Political Thought - Conservatism, Liberalism, and Socialism.

            a. Conservatism - Friedrich Hayek, Russell Kirk, Richard Weaver.

            b. Liberalism - John Rawls: the new egalitarianism

            c. Socialism - Norman Thomas.

            f.  The Rise of the Therapeutic State:  Paul Gotffried, James Burnham, Samuel Francis

            g.  Required reading:  Grimes, pp.408-417, 457-464,

 

 

FINAL EXAMINATION:  Monday, May 6  7:30-10:30 am

 

F. The Roots of the American Political Tradition: a selected reading list             

 

The following short bibliography is provided merely as a convenience and assistance to those students anxious to apprehend the principal seminal works that have underpinned the political foundations of the American Republic.  This list is admittedly not exhaustive of all the important works that have influenced American political thinking.  However, an attentive study of these books would be an excellent beginning for any student of the American political tradition.

 

I.  Roots

Old Testament - Genesis, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah

Plato - The Republic and  The Laws    

Aristotle - Ethics and Politics

Plutarch - Lives of the Noble Greeks - with special emphasis on the chapter on Solon

Cicero - Republic  and Offices

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

St. Augustine - City of God

Dante - Divine Comedy

Pico della Mirandola - Oration on the Dignity of Man

Richard Hooker - Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity

Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan

John Bunyan - Pilgrim’s Progress.

John Locke - Second Treatise on Civil Government.

Montesquieu - Spirit of the Laws.

David Hume - History of England

Sir William Blackstone - Commentaries on the Constitution of England.

Edmund Burke - “Conciliation with America”

 

            II.  General Studies

 

Harold J. Laski, The Rise of Liberalism (1936).

Francis W. Coker, Recent Political Thought  (1934)

W. A. Orton, The Liberal Tradition (1945).

J. S Roucek (ed.), Twentieth Century Political Thought (1946)

David Minar, Ideas and Politics: The American Experience (1965)

John H. Hallowell, Main Currents in American Political Thought (1950).

B. F. Wright, Jr., A Source Book of American Political Theory (1929)

--------------------,  American Interpretation of Natural Law (1931).

Vernon Parrington, Main Currents in American Thought (1930) 3 vols.  One of most popular and

  best written interpretations of the American political tradition from a progressive historian.

Richard Hofstadter, The American Political tradition (1949).  A popular interpretation; the late historian

 Hofstadter analyzes the lives and thoughts of some major American statesmen.  The major difficulty with this

 book is that it confuses reflective political thought with mere expedient partisan positions.

Frederick Jackson Turner, The Frontier in American History (1921). A classic historicalinterpretation of the

 influence of the westward movement of settlers on democratic ideas.

Clinton Rossiter, Conservatism in America (1962).  A fairly good and certainly enduring            interpretation of the

  “thankless persuasion.  Rossiter, though, has a tendency to group varieties of conservatives into artificial

   groups of his own making.

Russell Kirk, The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot.  Still the best history of the Anglo-American

  conservative tradition.

Ralph Gabriel, The Course of American Democratic Thought.  An adequate study.

Charles Forcey, The Crossroads of American Democratic Thought (1961).

Allen Guttman, The Conservative Tradition in America (1967).

Francis G. Wilson, The American Political Mind  (1949).  A good basic textbook of American ideas.

Charles E. Merriam, A History of American Political Theories (1903). A basic but now dated work by a noted

  University of Chicago political scientist.

                        , American Political Ideas (1920).

Neal Riemer, Democratic Experiment: American Political Theory.

Andrew Scott, Political Thought in America (1959)

Larry I. Peterman, American Political Thought (c. 1972) JK 11 1972 p. 47.

Bert James Lowenberg, American History in American Thought (1972) E 175.L6.

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. and Morton White (eds.), Paths of American Thought (1963).  A series of essays

   dealing with American intellectual thought.  Deals with social, political, and literary ideas.

Alpheus Thomas Mason, Free Government in the Making (1965).  Readings in American political thought.  A

  good source book of major political works.

Alpheus Thomas Mason and Richard Leach,  In Quest of Freedom (1973).  A basic textbook of American

 political thought.

Alistair Cooke, America (1973).  Basis for PBS-TV series.  Light reading.

 

           II. The Colonial Period

 

a. Primary  Works

 

John Wise, A Vindication of the Government of New England Churches (1772).

John Dickinson, The Writings of John Dickinson (1895).

James Wilson, Selected Political Essays, edited by R.G. Adams (1930).

 

b. Secondary Works

 

Richard M. Gummere, The American Colonial Mind and the Classical Tradition  (1963).

Perry Miller, The New England Mind:  The Seventeenth Century (1939).

James E.  Ernst, The Political Thought of Roger „illiams (1929).

Michael Kammen, Deputyes & Libertyes (1969).  A systematic description and analysis of seventeenth-century

  beginnings of representative institutions in British North America.

 

           III.  The Formation of the American Republic:  The Political Ideas of the American Founding

                  Fathers from the Revolution to the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

 

a. Primary Works

 

James Madison, (Asul K. Padover, ed.), The Complete Madison (1953).

John Adams, (George A. Peek, ed.) The Political Writings of John Adams (1954).

Thomas Jefferson (Edward Dumbauld, ed.), The Political Writings of Thomas Jefferson (1956).

- - - - - - - - - - - - Collected Works, several editions.

Alexander Hamilton, Works, several editions.

James Madison, Letters and Other Writings,  4 vols. (1865).

Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776).  This is that little propaganda tract that caused such a great stir during

   the revolutionary unpleasantness.

 

b. Secondary Works

 

R.G. Adams, Political Ideas of the American Revolution (1939).

Jackson Turner Main, The Anti-Federalists (1961).

A.T. Mason, The States Rights Debate:  Anti-Federalism and the Constitution (1964).

Paul Eidelberg, The Philosophy of the American Constitution (1968).  A Straussian anaylsis. 

Willmoore Kendall and George W. Carey, The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition (1970).  A novel, unique study of the American political traditions. 

Herman C. Pritchett, The American Çonstitution (1959).

John Dewey, The Living Thoughts of Jefferson.

Daver Manning, The Adams Federalists (1953).

Adreinne Koch, The Philosophy of Thomas Jefferson (1943) E332 K6 1964.

Leonard W. Levy, Jefferson and Civil Liberties:  The Darker Side (1963).

C. M. Walsh, The Political Science of John Adams (1915).

Arthur T. Prescott, The Framing of the Constitution (1941).

Claude Bowers, Jefferson and Hamilton (1933).

Clinton Rossiter, Seedtime of the Republic (1953).  A popular treatment of the political thinking of the colonists

  before and during the American Revolution.

Carl Becker, The Declaration of Independence (1922).  A classic work.

John Howe Jr. The Changing Political Thought of John Adams (1966).

Adrienne Koch, Power, Morals and the Founding Fathers (1961).

Cecelia M. Kenyon (ed.), The Anti-Federalists (1966).

Gottfried Dietze, The Federalist:  A Classic on  Federalism and Free Government A good treatment of the

  federalist idea.

Gerald Stourah, Alexander Hamilton and the Idea of Republican Government (1970).

Leonard W. Labaree, Conservatism in Early American History (1948).

Merrill D. Peterson, The Jeffersonian Image in the American Mind  (1962).

John P. Roche (ed.), Origins of American Political Thought (1967).  Selected readings.              Some good, basic

 essays on pre-1800 American political thought.

David McCullough, John Adams (Simon & Schuster, 2001).  A best selling biography of Adams, compares

  Adams favorably to Jefferson.

III.  Ante-Bellum Political Thought

       a.  Primary Works

George Fitzhugh, Sociology for the South (1854).  A defence of southern institutions and slavery.

John Taylor.  Definition of Parties (1794).

- - - - - - - - - -  An Inquiry into the Principles and Polity of the Government of the  United States          (1823).  A

  southern defense of states’ rights.

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (many editions).  Still the classic critique of democracy.  This

 French observer feared that America’s drive for equality would undermine liberty.

John C. Calhoun, A Disquisition on Government.  A defense of states’ rights and critique of majoritarian

 democracy. 

- - - - - - - - - -  Discourses.

Orestes Brownson, The American Republic (reprint, 1972) DX28.B72.  A Catholic social thinker.

John Marshall, The Papers of John Marshall (c. 1974-) E 302 M365.

Henry David Thoreau, “On theDuty of Civil Disobedience” (1845).  A classic protest against the authority of the state.

 

b. Secondary Works

 

Russell Kirk, John Randolph of Roanoke (1951).  E748.T2K5.  A modern conservative’s         appreciation of an old     

 states rightist.

Henry Adams, John Randolph (1892).  A critical, but sympathetic treatment of one of the most unusual

 statesmen the South has ever produced.

William Hatcher, Edward Livingston, Jefferson Republican and Jacksonian Democrat (1940).

Eugene T. Mudge, The Social Philosophy of John Taylor of Caroline: A Study in Jeffersonian Democracy 

 (1939).

August O. Spain, The Political Theory of John C. Calhoun (1951).

Harvey Wish, Ante Bellum Writings of George Fitzhugh and Hinton Rowan Helpher on Soociety (1962).

George A. Lipsky, John Quincy Adams: His Theory and Ideas (1950).

 

IV.  The Political Thought of the Post-Civil War Era:  Social Darwinism, Gospel of Wealth, Pragmatism, and the Social Gospel: 

 

a. Primary Works

 

Paul Elmer More, Aristocracy and Justice (1915).  An important statement of Burkean conservative principles.

James Bryce, The American Commonwealth 2 vols. (1941).  An Englishman analyzes American            society and   

 government.   A classic work.

Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams  (1931).  More than an autobiography, the author          reflects on the

 social and intellectual currents of a half-century of observation.

Brooks Adams, The Law of Civilization and Decay (1895).

- - - - - - - - - - Theory of Social Revolutions (1913).  Brother to Henry Adams, Books Adams argues that the

 centralization of capital has been the primary cause of the decline of civilizations.

Henry George, Progress and Poverty (1904).  Land rents are the cause of economic inequality; therefore this

 socialist argues for the confiscation of land rents.

Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward (1888) HX811 B43.  A man falls asleep in 1887 and awakens in the year

 2000 to find himself in a socialist paradise.  The classic socialist vision of utopia that inspired generations of    

 college students.

John Dewey, Liberalism and Social Action (1935) HM276 D4.  A pragmatist who greatly influenced liberalism

 in America.

Charles A. Beard, Politics (1908).  A progressive.

Arthur Bentley, The Process of Government (1967).  One of the first political scientists who argued that the

 fundamental unit for political analysis was the group.

Irving Babbitt, Democracy and Leadership (1924).  A conservative thinker, Babbitt worries about the  

 degradation of intellectual and moral standards.

George Santayana, The Life of Reason (1922-24).

- - - - - - - - - -  Character and Opinion in the United States (1920).

Lester Ward, The Psychic Factors of Çivilization  HM251. W3C.

- - - - - - - - -  Dynamic Sociology  HM51.238.  This sociologist argues against capitalism and for “sociocracy”.

Walter Rauschenbusch, A Theology for the Social Gospel (1917).

- - - - - - - - - -  Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907) BR115.S6R24.  A social gospelteer, Rauschenbusch

 argues against capitalist competition and greed and for a social system based upon the Christian message of

 love and brotherhood.

William James, Pragmatism (1907).  If it works; it must be true.

John Dewey, Democracy and Education (1929).  The purpose of education is the educate the child for

 democracy. 

Thorstein Veblen, Theory of the Leisure Class. Capitalism leads to conspicuous consumption and conspicuous

 leisure.

William Graham Sumner, What Social Classes Owe Each Other (reprint, 1947).  Why, nothing of course.  A

 classic statement of Íocial Darwinist principles.

Russell H. Conwell, Acres of Îiamonds (1915).  How you too can turn a buck in America.

 

 

b. Secondary Works

 

Chester M. Destler, American Radicalism, 1865-1901 (1946).

Richard Hofstadler, Social Darwinism in American Thought (1955).  A good basic study of the Social

  Darwinists and their critics.

Sidney Fine, Laissez-Faire and the General Welfare State (1967).

Harris E. Starr, William Graham Sumner (1925).

Robert G. McCloskey, American Conservatism in the Age of Enterprise, 1865-1910 (1951).  A study of Social  

 Darwinism and its critics.

G.R Geigor, The Philosophy of Henry George (1933).

Howard H. Quint, The Forging of American Socialism (1953).

Stuart Gerry Brown, (ed.) The Social Philosophy of Josiah Royce (1950).

E. David Cronon, The Political Thought of Woodrow Wilson (1965).

Samuel Chugerman, Lester F.Ward: The American Aristotle.

James Dombrowski,  The Early Days of Christian Socialism in America.

Charles Howard Hopkins, The Rise of the Social Gospel in American Protestantism, 1865-1915           (1940).  A

 thorough study of the social gospelteers.

Arthur H. Dakin, Paul Elmer More  (1960)  PS 2432 D7.

Richard M. Weaver, The Southern Tradition at Bay (1968).  A history of post bellum thought.  This book is a   

 nostalgic defense of the “last non-materialist civilization in the Western world.”

 

V. Recent Political Thought - Twentieth Century

 

a. Primary Works

 

Walter Lippmann, A Preface to Politics (1913 & 1933) HN64C76.

- - - - - - - - - - The Public Philosophy (1955).  A warning against some of the excesses of        democracy.

Reinhold Niebuhr, Christian Realism and Political Problems (1953) BR115.P7N6.

------------- Moral Man and Immoral Society (1932)  HN216.N6.  A Christian realist argues that in politics it is

 often imprudent to maintain inflexible moral principles.

Robert Dahl, A Preface to Democratic Theory (1956).   A modern political scientist argues that pluralism is the

 basic characteristic of American democracy.

Herbert Marcuse, A Critique of Pure Tolerance (1965).  A Freudian-Marxist  sees the American democratic

 system as oppressive to the poor, black, and young.

Henry Kariel, The Decline of American Pluralism (1961).

Twelve Southerners, I’ll Take My Stand (1930).  A defense of the southern agrarian way of life against the

 onslaught of northern industrialism.

Russell Kirk, A Program for Conservatives (1962).  A conservative defense of order, authority, prescriptive

  rights, and religious orthodoxy. 

-----America’s British Culture (New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1992).

------The Politics of Prudence (Bryn Mawr, PA: Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 1993). 

------Prospects for Çonservatives (Washington, DC, Regnery Gateway, 1989)

H. L. Mencken, Notes on Democracy.  Maybe this book is not good theory, but the Baltimore sage is always

 consistently entertaining.

Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences  (1948).  William of Occam is to blame for all our current

 problems.

Peter Viereck, Conservatism Revisited.  An attempt to define the conservative tradition.

Frank S. Meyer, In Defense of Freedom (1962).  A fusionist conservative attempts to wed libertarianism with

 traditional conservatism.

Willmoore Kendall, Willmoore Kendall Contra Mundum (1971) JK21 K43.  A collection of essays

 posthumously published.  Kendall was a leading conservative intellectual.

Irving Kristol, On the Democratic Idea in America (1972).  A critique of American liberal ideology.

John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (1971)

Catherine A. MacKinnon, Toward a Feminist Theory of the State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,

 1989.

Deborah L. Rode, Justice and Gender (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989).

Robert Nisbet, The Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom. (San Francisco, CA:

Institute for Contemporary  Studies, 1990).

James Burnham, The Managerial Revolution New York: The John Day Company, Inc. 1941).

Paul Gottfried, The Conservative Movement (New York: Twayne Publishers 1993).

 - - - - - - - - -  The Search for Historical Meaning: Hegel and Postwar American Right (DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, 1986).

---------------After Liberalism:  Mass Democracy in the Managerial State (Princeton, 1999).

Claes G. Ryn, Democracy and the Ethical Life: A Philosophy of Politics and Community (Baton             Rouge,

 Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1978

Michael Novak, The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism (New York: A Touchstone Book, 1982)

Samuel Francis, Beautiful Losers: Essays on the Failure of American Conservatism (Columbia, Mo: University

 of Missouri Press, 1993).

Christopher Lasch, The True and Only Heaven:  Progress and Its Critics (Norton, 1991).

-------------, The Revolt of the Masses (Norton, 1995).

 

b. Secondary Works

 

M.Q. Sibley, The Political Theories of Modern Pacifism (1944).  The author is a socialist-pacifist.

Howard Bratz, Negro Social and Political Thought (1966).

Bernard Crick, The American Science of Politics (1959).

William F. Buckley, Jr. (ed.), American Conservative Thought in the Twentieth Century (1970).  Anthology of

  postwar conservative thought.

Kenneth R. Minogue, The Liberal Mind (1963).

Lionel Trilling, The Liberal Imagination (1950).  An important criticism of the liberal idea in literature.

Michael P. Federici, The Rise of Right-Wing Democratism in Post-War America (Westport, Conn:  Praeger,

  1991).  Federici is a graduate of Elizabethtown College.

Dwight D. Murphy, Liberalism in Contemporary America (McLean, VA, Council for Social and            Economic Studies, 1992).

Charles W. Dunn & J. David Woodward, American Conservatism from Burke to Bush (Lanham, MD: Madison

 Books, 1991).

Justin Raimondo, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement

  (Burlingame CA: Center for Libertarian Studies, 1993).          

 

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