Culture and Liberty in the Age of the American Revolution

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
Cover of the book Culture and Liberty in the Age of the American Revolution by Michal Jan Rozbicki, University of Virginia Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michal Jan Rozbicki ISBN: 9780813931548
Publisher: University of Virginia Press Publication: February 1, 2011
Imprint: University of Virginia Press Language: English
Author: Michal Jan Rozbicki
ISBN: 9780813931548
Publisher: University of Virginia Press
Publication: February 1, 2011
Imprint: University of Virginia Press
Language: English

In his new book, Michal Jan Rozbicki undertakes to bridge the gap between the political and the cultural histories of the American Revolution. Through a careful examination of liberty as both the ideological axis and the central metaphor of the age, he is able to offer a fresh model for interpreting the Revolution. By establishing systemic linkages between the histories of the free and the unfree, and between the factual and the symbolic, this framework points to a fundamental reassessment of the ways we think about the American Founding.

Rozbicki moves beyond the two dominant interpretations of Revolutionary liberty—one assuming the Founders invested it with a modern meaning that has in essence continued to the present day, the other highlighting its apparent betrayal by their commitment to inequality. Through a consistent focus on the interplay between culture and power, Rozbicki demonstrates that liberty existed as an intricate fusion of political practices and symbolic forms. His deeply historicized reconstruction of its contemporary meanings makes it clear that liberty was still understood as a set of privileges distributed according to social rank rather than a universal right. In fact, it was because the Founders considered this assumption self-evident that they felt confident in publicizing a highly liberal, symbolic narrative of equal liberty to represent the Revolutionary endeavor. The uncontainable success of this narrative went far beyond the circumstances that gave birth to it because it put new cultural capital—a conceptual arsenal of rights and freedoms—at the disposal of ordinary people as well as political factions competing for their support, providing priceless legitimacy to all those who would insist that its nominal inclusiveness include them in fact.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In his new book, Michal Jan Rozbicki undertakes to bridge the gap between the political and the cultural histories of the American Revolution. Through a careful examination of liberty as both the ideological axis and the central metaphor of the age, he is able to offer a fresh model for interpreting the Revolution. By establishing systemic linkages between the histories of the free and the unfree, and between the factual and the symbolic, this framework points to a fundamental reassessment of the ways we think about the American Founding.

Rozbicki moves beyond the two dominant interpretations of Revolutionary liberty—one assuming the Founders invested it with a modern meaning that has in essence continued to the present day, the other highlighting its apparent betrayal by their commitment to inequality. Through a consistent focus on the interplay between culture and power, Rozbicki demonstrates that liberty existed as an intricate fusion of political practices and symbolic forms. His deeply historicized reconstruction of its contemporary meanings makes it clear that liberty was still understood as a set of privileges distributed according to social rank rather than a universal right. In fact, it was because the Founders considered this assumption self-evident that they felt confident in publicizing a highly liberal, symbolic narrative of equal liberty to represent the Revolutionary endeavor. The uncontainable success of this narrative went far beyond the circumstances that gave birth to it because it put new cultural capital—a conceptual arsenal of rights and freedoms—at the disposal of ordinary people as well as political factions competing for their support, providing priceless legitimacy to all those who would insist that its nominal inclusiveness include them in fact.

More books from University of Virginia Press

Cover of the book Women Fight, Women Write by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book The Pragmatist Turn by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Immigration by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book "Evil People" by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Rethinking Sincerity and Authenticity by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book The War Bells Have Rung by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Steinbeck in Vietnam by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Four Fools in the Age of Reason by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book A New Continent of Liberty by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Never Ask Permission by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Foreign Trends in American Gardens by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Characters of Blood by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Fatal Politics by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Confederate Visions by Michal Jan Rozbicki
Cover of the book Locating the Destitute by Michal Jan Rozbicki
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy