An Emancipation of the Mind - Radical Philosophy, the War over Slavery, and the Refounding of America

This is a story about a dangerous idea-that all men are created equal-which ignited revolutions in America, France and Haiti; burst across Europe in the revolutions of 1848; and returned to inflame a new generation of intellectuals to lead the abolition movement. Frederick Douglass's unusual interest in radical German philosophers and Abraham Lincoln's odd, buried allusions to the same rationalist, secularist, and essentially atheist thinkers are but a few of the clues that underlie this propulsive philosophical detective story. With fresh takes on forgotten thinkers like Theodore Parker (a minister too radical even for the Unitarians, whose work provided some of Lincoln's most famous lines) and a feisty band of German refugees, Matthew Stewart's vivid storytelling and piercing insights forge a significant revision in our understanding of the origins and meaning of the struggle over slavery in America-and offer a fresh perspective on struggles between democracy and elite power today.

Über den Autor / die Autorin

Matthew Stewart is an independent philosopher and historian who has written extensively about the philosophical origins of the American republic. His work has appeared in?The Atlantic,?The?Washington Post,?The Wall Street Journal, and more. He is currently based in London.

Zusammenfassung

How a band of antislavery leaders recovered the radical philosophical inspirations of the first American Revolution to defeat the slaveholders’ oligarchy in the American Civil War

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Matthew Stewart
• Verlag: W. W. Norton & Company
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 22.04.2024
• EAN: 9781324003625
• ISBN: 978-1-324-00362-5
• Abmessung: 163 mm x 239 mm x 36 mm
• Gewicht: 670 g
• Themen: Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Geschichte > Neuzeit bis 1918; Sachbuch > Geschichte > Sonstiges; USA, Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900, PHILOSOPHY / Social, PHILOSOPHY / Political, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Slavery, HISTORY / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), HISTORY / Military / United States, c 1800 to c 1900, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, United States of America, USA, Slavery & abolition of slavery, Slavery and abolition of slavery, Civil wars, American Civil War