ENGLISH

American Liberalism: An Interpretation for Our Time

By John McGowan

Book information

Publisher
The University of North Carolina Press
Year
2007
ISBN
9780807831717, 0807831719
LCC
JC574.2.U6 M355 2007
Open Library ID
OL11294149M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
1 MB (1072048 bytes)
Series
H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series
Pages
282\282
Topic
History
Library
avaxhome.ws
Time added
2010-05-31 15:29:46

Description

Americans live in a liberal democracy. Yet, although democracy is widely touted today, liberalism is scorned by both the right and the left. The United States stands poised between its liberal democratic tradition and the illiberal alternatives of liberalism's critics. In an engaging and informative discussion, McGowan offers a ringing endorsement of American liberalism's basic principles, values, and commitments. He explains that the liberalism of the founders distributed power widely in order to limit the power any one entity could exercise over others. Their aim was to provide for all an effective freedom that combined the right to self-determination with the ability to achieve one's self-chosen goals. In tracing this history, McGowan offers a clear vision of liberalism's foundational values as America's best guarantee today of liberty and the peace in which to exercise it.

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