{"product_id":"the-roots-of-american-individualism-alex-zakaras-9780691226316","title":"The Roots of American Individualism: Political Myth in the Age of Jackson","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA panoramic history of American individualism from its nineteenth-century origins to today's bitterly divided politics\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIndividualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights against unwanted intrusion, be it from big government, big corporations, or intolerant majorities. \u003ci\u003eThe Roots of American Individualism\u003c\/i\u003e traces the origins of individualist ideas to the turbulent political controversies of the Jacksonian era (1820-1850) and explores their enduring influence on American politics and culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlex Zakaras plunges readers into the spirited and rancorous political debates of Andrew Jackson's America, drawing on the stump speeches, newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and sermons that captivated mass audiences and shaped partisan identities. He shows how these debates popularized three powerful myths that celebrated the young nation as an exceptional land of liberty: the myth of the independent proprietor, the myth of the rights-bearer, and the myth of the self-made man. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Roots of American Individualism\u003c\/i\u003e reveals how generations of politicians, pundits, and provocateurs have invoked these myths for competing political purposes. Time and again, the myths were used to determine who would enjoy equal rights and freedoms and who would not. They also conjured up heavily idealized, apolitical visions of social harmony and boundless opportunity, typically centered on the free market, that have distorted American political thought to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Alex Zakaras\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691226318\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691226316\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/11\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.50h x 6.40w x 1.40d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2022 pg. 113\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2023","brand":"Alex Zakaras","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44059485470975,"sku":"9780691226316","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_06bd5891-0aaf-49a5-bcc2-a05f10e6715d.jpg?v=1685058513","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-roots-of-american-individualism-alex-zakaras-9780691226316","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}