The Rise of American Democracy: The Crisis of the New Order, 1787-1815: College Edition, Volume I

by Sean Wilentz

Now available in three separate paperbacks designed for college courses, The Rise of American Democracy , acclaimed as the definitive study of the period by one of the greatest American historians, traces a historical arc from the earliest days of the republic to the opening shots of the Civil War. Ferocious clashes among the Founders over the role of ordinary citizens in a government of "we, the people" were eventually resolved in the triumph of Andrew Jackson. Thereafter, Sean Wilentz shows, a fateful division arose between two starkly opposed democracies―a division contained until the election of Abraham Lincoln sparked its bloody resolution. The College Edition features a new preface and further reading lists for each volume. It eliminated the endnotes of the one-volume edition but preserves the entire text of the original.
24 color illustrations

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2006

About the author

Sean Wilentz is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University. His many books include The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics (2016); Bob Dylan in America (2010); and The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974–2008 (2008). The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln (2005) was awarded the Bancroft Prize, and he has received two Grammy nominations for his writings on music.

Reviews

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book for those who want to get to know the main characters and the roles they played in the development of American government. If you are interested in the ways the democratic institutions developed (parties, etc...), the book is more disappointing. It covers the topic, but institutions take a distant second place to the role of the individual.