Includes bibliographical references (pages [443]-454) and index.
Contents:
Part I: Origin of the American schism: the two Enlightenments -- Europe before the Enlightenment -- Les Lumieres: The age of reason and scientific discovery -- The moderate Enlightenment -- The radical Enlightenment -- The emergence of the schism in Europe -- The development of the American Enlightenment -- Counter-Enlightenment and populism -- Part II: How the schism has divided America across the centuries -- From the 1776 radical declaration to the 1787 moderate constitution -- A young nation struggles with expansion: America in the early 19th century -- The hopes of radical reconstruction and the brutal reality of Jim Crow -- The "solid South" redeemed and the populist movement -- A renaissance of civil rights and the rise of the new conservative coalition -- The emergence of a new counter-enlightenment: The age of Trumpism -- Part III: The future is on the line -- Government top-down or bottom-up -- We the people-who is us? -- A new vision for America: Can we build a "just" meritocracy? -- Healing the American schism: Crucial first steps.
Summary:
"Two disparate Americas have always coexisted. In this thoroughly researched, engaging and ultimately hopeful story of our nation's divergent roots, Seth David Radwell clearly links the fascinating history of the two American Enlightenments to our raging political division. He also demonstrates that reasoned analysis and historical perspective are the only antidote to irrational political discourse."Did my vision of America ever exist at all, or was it but a myth?" Searching for a fresh and distinctive perspective on the recent corrosion of our civic life, Radwell's very personal and yet broadly shared question propelled his search back to our nation's founding for a fresh and distinctive perspective on the recent corrosion of our civic life - and led to a surprising discovery. Today's battles reflect the fundamentally divergent visions of our country that emerged at our nation's founding and have been vying for prominence ever since. The founding principles that shaped the United States may be rooted in the Enlightenment era. But the origin of our dual Americas is a product of two distinct Enlightenments - Radical and Moderate."-- Provided by Amazon.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.