{"product_id":"the-myth-of-american-individualism-the-protestant-origins-of-american-political-thought-9780691029122","title":"The Myth of American Individualism: The Protestant Origins of American Political Thought","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSharpening the debate over the values that formed America's founding political philosophy, Barry Alan Shain challenges us to reconsider what early Americans meant when they used such basic political concepts as the public good, liberty, and slavery. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have too readily assumed, he argues, that eighteenth-century Americans understood these and other terms in an individualistic manner. However, by exploring how these core elements of their political thought were employed in Revolutionary-era sermons, public documents, newspaper editorials, and political pamphlets, Shain reveals a very different understanding--one based on a reformed Protestant communalism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this context, individual liberty was the freedom to order one's life in accordance with the demanding ethical standards found in Scripture and confirmed by reason. This was in keeping with Americans' widespread acceptance of original sin and the related assumption that a well-lived life was only possible in a tightly knit, intrusive community made up of families, congregations, and local government bodies. Shain concludes that Revolutionary-era Americans defended a Protestant communal vision of human flourishing that stands in stark opposition to contemporary liberal individualism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis overlooked component of the American political inheritance, he further suggests, demands examination because it alters the historical ground upon which contemporary political alternatives often seek legitimation, and it facilitates our understanding of much of American history and of the foundational language still used in authoritative political documents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Barry Alan Shain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/25\/1996\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.29lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.18h x 6.02w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691029122\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBarry Alan Shain\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor of Political Science at Colgate University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":40087120740467,"sku":"0691029121","price":68.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/products\/img_6dece343-2750-4992-92c5-18cf033239d9.jpg?v=1652538163","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/the-myth-of-american-individualism-the-protestant-origins-of-american-political-thought-9780691029122","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}