The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776-1920

Business & Finance, Economics, Economic History, Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776-1920 by James L. Huston, LSU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James L. Huston ISBN: 9780807167465
Publisher: LSU Press Publication: October 16, 2017
Imprint: LSU Press Language: English
Author: James L. Huston
ISBN: 9780807167465
Publisher: LSU Press
Publication: October 16, 2017
Imprint: LSU Press
Language: English

Historians have long contested the degree to which the central tenet of the Declaration of Independence—that all men are created equal—has manifested itself in American society and national policy. According to James L. Huston, many historians have focused too intently on class differences, slavery, and inequalities arising from ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, while overlooking important areas where notions of equality flourished during the century and a half after the Declaration’s signing. In The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776–1920, Huston examines the egalitarian communities in rural northern America, particularly those enclaves that differed from the openly aristocratic cities and towns of the British Isles.

In the aftermath of the American Revolution, British and American writers alike recognized that a growing philosophical rift divided the two nations: whereas Great Britain continued to embrace the inequality of its hierarchical class system, the United States professed allegiance to democratic ideals of equality—limited though these were by racial and gender norms of the day. Huston argues that the two countries engaged in an intellectual debate during the next century and a half over which ideal—equality or inequality—worked best in promoting social stability, political hegemony, and economic success. Exploring the effects of equality and inequality on many aspects of American life, he examines civil behavior, social customs, treatment of others, politics, education, religion, economic opportunity, and general public optimism.

Drawing from decades of publications by American and British writers, Huston reveals the rhetorical strategies contemporary observers employed in defending or rejecting the organization of a society around broader notions of human equality. The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776–1920 informs the modern debate over equality and inequality, not by theorizing and philosophizing, but by offering a glimpse into the practical applications of a functioning egalitarian society as compared to one that extolled monarchy and institutionalized inequality.

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

Historians have long contested the degree to which the central tenet of the Declaration of Independence—that all men are created equal—has manifested itself in American society and national policy. According to James L. Huston, many historians have focused too intently on class differences, slavery, and inequalities arising from ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, while overlooking important areas where notions of equality flourished during the century and a half after the Declaration’s signing. In The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776–1920, Huston examines the egalitarian communities in rural northern America, particularly those enclaves that differed from the openly aristocratic cities and towns of the British Isles.

In the aftermath of the American Revolution, British and American writers alike recognized that a growing philosophical rift divided the two nations: whereas Great Britain continued to embrace the inequality of its hierarchical class system, the United States professed allegiance to democratic ideals of equality—limited though these were by racial and gender norms of the day. Huston argues that the two countries engaged in an intellectual debate during the next century and a half over which ideal—equality or inequality—worked best in promoting social stability, political hegemony, and economic success. Exploring the effects of equality and inequality on many aspects of American life, he examines civil behavior, social customs, treatment of others, politics, education, religion, economic opportunity, and general public optimism.

Drawing from decades of publications by American and British writers, Huston reveals the rhetorical strategies contemporary observers employed in defending or rejecting the organization of a society around broader notions of human equality. The American and British Debate Over Equality, 1776–1920 informs the modern debate over equality and inequality, not by theorizing and philosophizing, but by offering a glimpse into the practical applications of a functioning egalitarian society as compared to one that extolled monarchy and institutionalized inequality.

More books from LSU Press

Cover of the book The Problem of Democracy in the Age of Slavery by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Greyhound Commander by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The Guerrilla Hunters by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Flora and Fauna of the Civil War by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Ellet's Brigade by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The River Flows On by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The Papers of Jefferson Davis by James L. Huston
Cover of the book The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Hearts of Darkness by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Selected Stories from the Southern Review by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Talking about Movies with Jesus by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Narrative of James Williams, an American Slave by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Hunting Nazis in Franco's Spain by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Newcomb College, 1886-2006 by James L. Huston
Cover of the book Yankee Dutchman by James L. Huston
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