Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775-2000

by Shafer, Byron E.; Badger, Anthony J.

• ISBN13: 9780700611393
• ISBN10: 0700611398
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas

Summary

In this defining statement about the state of the discipline, a "who's who" of prominent scholars addresses and critiques the entire sweep of American political history. Exemplifying the revitalizing power of the "new political history" and its renewed emphasis on large "P" politics, these writers have combined to produce an illuminating synthesis of the most recent work in the field.

Focusing upon both the major policy issues in the politics of each period (substance) and the major social forces shaping politics (structure), these essays chronicle and evaluate the evolution of American politics and society over two and a quarter centuries. In the process, they reflect their authors' strong collective commitment to a dynamic field of intellectual inquiry, while simultaneously highlighting key interpretive disputes within it.

An outstanding summary of current and recent thinking in the field, this book should become an essential volume for scholars and teachers in both history and the social sciences.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction	1	(6)
State Development in the Early Republic: Substance and Structure, 1780-1840	7	(30)
Ronald P. Formisano
The Nationalization and Racialization of American Politics: Before, Beneath, and Between Parties, 1790-1840	37	(28)
David Waldstreicher
``To One or Another of These Parties Every Man Belongs'': The American Political Experience from Andrew Jackson to the Civil War	65	(28)
Joel H. Silbey
Change and Continuity in the Party Period: The Substance and Structure of American Politics, 1835-1885	93	(24)
Michael F. Holt
The Transformation of American Politics: Political Institutions and Public Policy, 1865-1910	117	(32)
Peter H. Argersinger
Democracy, Republicanism, and Efficiency: The Values of American Politics, 1885-1930	149	(32)
Richard Jensen
The Limits of Federal Power and Social Politics, 1910-1955	181	(20)
Anthony J. Badger
The Rise of Rights and Rights Consciousness in American Politics, 1930s-1970s	201	(24)
James T. Patterson
The Two Majorities and the Puzzle of Modern American Politics: Economic Development, Issue Evolution, and Divided Government, 1955-2000	225	(26)
Byron E. Shafer
Afterword	251	(14)
List of Contributors	265	(2)
Index	267