For the People: American Populist Movements from the Revolution to the 1850s - Hardcover

Formisano, Ronald P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807831727 ISBN 13: 9780807831724

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2008

Synopsis

For the People offers a new interpretation of populist political movements from the Revolution to the eve of the Civil War and roots them in the disconnect between the theory of rule by the people and the reality of rule by elected representatives. Ron Formisano seeks to rescue populist movements from the distortions of contemporary opponents as well as the misunderstandings of later historians.

From the Anti-Federalists to the Know-Nothings, Formisano traces the movements chronologically, contextualizing them and demonstrating the progression of ideas and movements. Although American populist movements have typically been categorized as either progressive or reactionary, left-leaning or right-leaning, Formisano argues that most populist movements exhibit liberal and illiberal tendencies simultaneously. Gendered notions of "manhood" are an enduring feature, yet women have been intimately involved in nearly every populist insurgency. By considering these movements together, Formisano identifies commonalities that belie the pattern of historical polarization and bring populist movements from the margins to the core of American history.

About this title

Book Description

" For the People is the most important work in print on the sources and development of the people's unofficial national faith from the Revolution to the Civil War: populism. It is by turns brilliant and arresting. A must read."--Bruce Laurie, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

From the Inside Flap

From the Anti-Federalists to the Know-Nothings, Formisano traces populist political movements in the U.S. chronologically from the Revolution to the Civil War, contextualizing them and demonstrating the progression of ideas and movements. Although American populist movements have typically been categorized as either progressive or reactionary, left-leaning or right-leaning, Formisano argues that most populist movements exhibit liberal and illiberal tendencies simultaneously. By considering these movements together, Formisano identifies commonalities that belie the pattern of historical polarization and bring populist movements from the margins to the core of American history.

Edition details

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0807831727
• ISBN 13: 9780807831724
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 328