This is a story about a dangerous idea-one which ignited revolutions in America, France and Haiti; burst across Europe in the revolutions of 1848; and returned to inflame a new generation of intellectuals to lead the abolition movement-the idea that all men are created equal.
In their struggle against the slaveholding oligarchy of their time, America's antislavery leaders found their way back to the rationalist, secularist and essentially atheist inspiration for the first American Revolution. Frederick Douglass's unusual interest in radical German philosophers and Abraham Lincoln's buried allusions to the same thinkers are but a few of the clues that underlie this propulsive philosophical detective story. With fresh takes on forgotten thinkers like Theodore Parker, the excommunicated Unitarian minister who is the original source of some of Lincoln's most famous lines, and a feisty band of German refugees, philosopher and historian Matthew Stewart tells a vivid and piercing story of the battle between America's philosophical radicals and the conservative counter-revolution that swept the American republic in the first decades of its existence and persists in new forms up to the present day. In exposing the role of Christian nationalism and the collusion between northern economic elites and slaveholding oligarchs, An Emancipation of the Mind demands a significant revision in our understanding of the origins and meaning of the struggle over slavery in America-and offers a fresh perspective on struggles between democracy and elite power today.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"[A] bracingly original book." -- Harold Holzer - The Wall Street Journal "Matthew Stewart renders the radical philosophy of Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and John Brown with analytical precision and intellectual rigor. Stewart's notion of 'philosophy-in-action' as foundational to radical abolition is a fascinating account of ideas in action, anticipating contemporary arguments over the role of philosophy and ideas in the fight for racial equality." -- Kerri K. Greenidge, author of The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family "Engaging and often surprising." -- S.C. Gwynne - The New York Times "A timely and inspiring intervention in the ongoing struggle over our history and collective identity. An Emancipation of the Mind illuminates the enduring and transformative legacy of the radical Enlightenment for the American experiment in republican self-government." -- Peter S. Onuf, author (with Annette Gordon-Reed) of Most Blessed of the Patriarchs "Enthralling, illuminating, and timely. A beautifully written, myth-busting, and eye-opening uncovering of the radical, humanistic roots of America's best impulses toward justice and equality. A must-read for anyone who wants to fully understand not only the abolitionist movement and the nation's struggle over slavery, but also America's ongoing conflicts related to religion, nationalism, theology, and democracy." -- Phil Zuckerman, coauthor of Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Broschur/Paperback
Klebebindung
Maße
Höhe: 206 mm
Breite: 138 mm
Dicke: 25 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-324-10503-9 (9781324105039)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
Matthew Stewart is an independent philosopher and historian who has written extensively about the philosophical origins of the American republic. His work has appeared in?The Atlantic,?The?Washington Post,?The Wall Street Journal, and more. He is currently based in London.
