Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought from Paine to Pragmatism

by William H. Goetzmann

From 1776, when Citizen Tom Paine declared, “The birthday of a new world is at hand,” America was unique in world history. A nation suffused with the spirit of explorers, constantly replenished by immigrants, and informed by a continual influx of foreign ideas, it was the world’s first truly cosmopolitan civilization.In Beyond the Revolution, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian William H. Goetzmann tells the story of America’s greatest thinkers and creators, from Paine and Jefferson to Melville and William James, showing how they built upon and battled one another’s ideas in the critical years between 1776 and 1900. An unprecedented work of intellectual history by a master historian, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the origins of our national culture.

Genres: History, Philosophy, Nonfiction, American History

480 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2009

About the author

William H. Goetzmann was an award-winning historian and emeritus professor in the American Studies and American Civilization Programs at the University of Texas at Austin. He attended Yale University as a graduate student and was friends with Tom Wolfe while there. His work on the American West won him the highest prizes for historians, the Parkman Prize and the Pulitzer Prize. He has written and published extensively on American philosophy, American political history, and the American arts. An advocate for the importance of history as a public discussion, he has served in various capacities in television and film production, notably for PBS. He was most recently the Jack S. Blanton, Sr., Chair Emeritus in History and American Studies. His last book published during his lifetime was Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought From Paine to Pragmatism (2009). (from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Illiterate]

Rightly argues: America was a product of borrowings from Europe; and its aggressive imperialism fractured any spurious unity it had.

[Kathy Guilbert]

Really interesting. Very well written and balanced. It's like I've just taken the most fascintating history class, in all of 3 days. Goetzmann did such a good job of recreating life in early American thought.

[Paul Heidebrecht]

Splendid history of American intellectuals trying to make sense of a new nation before the Civil War tore it apart. Goetzmann is now retired and this book captures his considerable learning and wisdom. What a masterpiece. Must be fun to write with such a command of your subject.

[Ldrutman Drutman]

Delightfully learned survey of American ideas and letters. Wonderfully written, encyclopedic in scope, light in presentation.

[Craig Bolton]

Beyond the Revolution: A History of American Thought from Paine to Pragmatism by William H. Goetzmann (2009)

[Angela]

fine

[Kacey Carpenter]

Very informative history of our American revolution