The Intellectual Construction of America

Exceptionalism and Identity From 1492 to 1800

Nonfiction, History, Americas, North America, United States, Colonial Period (1600-1775)
Cover of the book The Intellectual Construction of America by Jack P. Greene, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jack P. Greene ISBN: 9780807861776
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: November 9, 2000
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Jack P. Greene
ISBN: 9780807861776
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: November 9, 2000
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

Jack Greene explores the changing definitions of America from the time of Europe's first contact with the New World through the establishment of the American republic. Challenging historians who have argued that colonial American societies differed little from those of early modern Europe, he shows that virtually all contemporary observers emphasized the distinctiveness of the new worlds being created in America. Rarely considering the high costs paid by Amerindians and Africans in the construction of those worlds, they cited the British North American colonies as evidence that America was for free people a place of exceptional opportunities for individual betterment and was therefore fundamentally different from the Old World. Greene suggests that this concept of American societies as exceptional was a central component in their emerging identity. The success of the American Revolution helped subordinate Americans' long-standing sense of cultural inferiority to a more positive sense of collective self that sharpened and intensified the concept of American exceptionalism.

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

Jack Greene explores the changing definitions of America from the time of Europe's first contact with the New World through the establishment of the American republic. Challenging historians who have argued that colonial American societies differed little from those of early modern Europe, he shows that virtually all contemporary observers emphasized the distinctiveness of the new worlds being created in America. Rarely considering the high costs paid by Amerindians and Africans in the construction of those worlds, they cited the British North American colonies as evidence that America was for free people a place of exceptional opportunities for individual betterment and was therefore fundamentally different from the Old World. Greene suggests that this concept of American societies as exceptional was a central component in their emerging identity. The success of the American Revolution helped subordinate Americans' long-standing sense of cultural inferiority to a more positive sense of collective self that sharpened and intensified the concept of American exceptionalism.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book 'Man Over Money' by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Blessed with Tourists by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book William James by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book An American Triptych by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book A German Women's Movement by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Unruly Bodies by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Historical Truth and Lies About the Past by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Guardians of Empire by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book The NAACP's Legal Strategy against Segregated Education, 1925-1950 by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Secrets of Victory by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book The Sound of Navajo Country by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book Civic Passions by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book In Quest of Identity by Jack P. Greene
Cover of the book White People Do Not Know How to Behave at Entertainments Designed for Ladies and Gentlemen of Colour by Jack P. Greene
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