The democratic experiment: New directions in American political history

Meg Jacobs, William J. Novak, Julian E. Zelizer

Research output: Book/ReportBook

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

In a series of fascinating essays that explore topics in American politics from the nation's founding to the present day , The Democratic Experiment opens up exciting new avenues for historical research while offering bold claims about the tensions that have animated American public life. Revealing the fierce struggles that have taken place over the role of the federal government and the character of representative democracy, the authors trace the contested and dynamic evolution of the national polity. The contributors, who represent the leading new voices in the revitalized field of American political history, offer original interpretations of the nation's political past by blending methodological insights from the new institutionalism in the social sciences and studies of political culture. They tackle topics as wide-ranging as the role of personal character of political elites in the Early Republic, to the importance of courts in building a modern regulatory state, to the centrality of local political institutions in the late twentieth century. Placing these essays side by side encourages the asking of new questions about the forces that have shaped American politics over time. An unparalleled example of the new political history in action, this book will be vastly influential in the field.

Original languageEnglish (US)
PublisherPrinceton University Press
ISBN (Print)0691113769, 9780691113777
StatePublished - Jan 10 2009
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Arts and Humanities

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