A history of hope : when Americans have dared to dream of a better future / James W. Fraser.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fraser, James W., 1944-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social movements.

History.

Social reformers.

Political activists.

Hope.

United States--History--Anecdotes.

United States.

Hope--Anecdotes.

United States--Biography--Anecdotes.

Political activists--United States--Biography--Anecdotes.

Social reformers--United States--Biography--Anecdotes.

National characteristics, American--Anecdotes.

National characteristics, American.

Social movements--United States--History--Anecdotes.

United States--History.

Local Subjects:

United States--History.

Genre:

Anecdotes.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xx, 347 pages, 14 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.

Summary:

Fraser chronicles the indomitable American spirit that has kept us going, even in our country's darkest days. Whether it was the impoverished people of New Mexico who declared, "Our purpose is to protect the rights and interests of the people in general, " or the runaway slave Joseph Taper writing "all are born free and equal." or Jefferson's "self-evident truths, " hope for a better future has always been a part of the story of the United States, no matter whether it came from the agitator, the poet, the union organizer or the official leader. James Fraser reminds us of a history rooted in optimism, a history more important now than it ever was.

Contents:

Prologue: The First Revolution: Taos, 1680 1

1. The Revolutionaries of 1776 11

2. Utopian Communities 27

3. Mexico in the United States 43

4. Rebellious Slaves, Free Blacks, and Abolitionists 67

5. Reconstruction: The First Civil Rights Era 93

6. Feminists and Suffragists 121

7. The Beginnings of Organized Labor 151

8. The Many Faces of the Progressive Era 185

9. Hope in Hard Times 215

10. The Civil Rights Movement 249

Epilogue: The Movement Continues 285.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [334]-338) and index.

ISBN:

0312239041

OCLC:

49375472