Edmund Burke in America

Drew Maciag

Description

The statesman and political philosopher Edmund Burke (1729-1797) is a touchstone for modern conservatism in the United States, and his name and his writings have been invoked by figures ranging from the arch Federalist George Cabot to the twentieth-century political philosopher Leo Strauss. But Burke's legacy has neither been consistently associated with conservative thought nor has the richness and subtlety of his political vision been fully appreciated by either his American admirers or detractors. In Edmund Burke in America, Drew Maciag traces Burke's reception and reputation in the United States, from the contest of ideas between Burke and Thomas Paine in the Revolutionary period, to the Progressive Era (when Republicans and Democrats alike invoked Burke's wisdom), to his apotheosis within the modern conservative movement.Throughout, Maciag is sensitive to the relationship between American opinions about Burke and the changing circumstances of American life. The dynamic tension between conservative and liberal attitudes in American society surfaced in debates over the French Revolution, Jacksonian democracy, Gilded Age values, Progressive reform, Cold War anticommunism, and post-1960s liberalism. The post-World War II rediscovery of Burke by New Conservatives and their adoption of him as the "father of conservatism" provided an intellectual foundation for the conservative ascendancy of the late twentieth century. Highlighting the Burkean influence on such influential writers as George Bancroft, E. L. Godkin, and Russell Kirk, Maciag also explores the underappreciated impact of Burke's thought on four U.S. presidents: John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson. Through close and keen readings of political speeches, public lectures, and works of history and political theory and commentary, Maciag offers a sweeping account of the American political scene over two centuries.

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• USA
• History of the Americas
• History of Europe
• États-Unis

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 19 avril 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801467875
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

EDMUND BURKE IN AMERICA

ED

MUND BURKE IN AMERICA

T he Cont e s t e d Ca r e e r of t he Fa t he r of Mo de r n Co ns e r va t is m

D r e w M a c i a g

CORNELLUNIVERSITYPRESS IthacaandLondon

Copyright©2013byCornellUniversity

Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsinareview, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

Firstpublished2013byCornellUniversityPress

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Maciag, Drew, 1954–  Edmund Burke in America : the contested career of the father of modern conservatism / Drew Maciag.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 978-0-8014-4895-9 (cloth : alk. paper)  1. Conservatism—United States—History. 2. Political science—United States—Philosophy. 3. Burke, Edmund, 1729–1797. I. Title.  JC573.2.U6M335 2013  320.520973—dc23 2012040406

CornellUniversityPressstrivestouseenvironmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.

Clothprinting

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ToJeanne

The social nature of man impels him to propagate his principles, as much as physical impulses urge him to propagate his kind. The passions give zeal and vehemence. The understanding bestows design and system. The whole man moves under the discipline of his opinions.

—EdmundBurke Letters on a Regicide Peace

Co nt e nts

Prefacexi

Introduction: In Search of Icons 1. Burke in Brief: A “Philosophical” Primer PartI:EarlyAmerica 2. Old Seeds, New Soil: The Land of Paine 3. Federalist Persuasions: John and J. Q. Adams 4. Democratic America: The Ethos of Liberalism 5. American Whigs: A Conservative Response

PartII:TransitiontoModernAmerica 6. The Gilded Age: Eclectic Interpretations 7. Theodore Roosevelt: Blazing Forward, Looking Backward 8. Woodrow Wilson: Confronting American Maturity PartIII:PostwarAmerica 9. Modern Times: Conjunctions and Consensus

1

7

25

33

58

73

107

122

143

165