American scripture : making the Declaration of Independence Pauline Maier

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Maier, Pauline, 1938-2013.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Declaration of Independence.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1775-1783.

Physical Description:

xxi, 304 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, Inc., 1997.

Summary:

Historian Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be. She describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in other "declarations" of 1776. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson. She also reveals what happened after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society.--From publisher description.

Contents:

Introduction: Gathering at the Shrine

Ch. I. Independence. 1. Congress. 2. Independence? 3. Common Sense. 4. A Republic? 5. Decision

Ch. II. The "Other" Declarations of Independence. 1. In English Ways. 2. Mobilizing the People. 3. Declaring Independence. 4. Founding a Republic

Ch. III. Mr. Jefferson and His Editors. 1. The Drafting Committee. 2. Jefferson's Draft: The Charges Against the King. 3. Jefferson's Draft: A Revolutionary Manifesto. 4. Congress's Declaration

Ch. IV. American Scripture. 1. Spreading the News. 2. An All-But-Forgotten Testament. 3. A Partisan Document. 4. Sacred Text. 5. Equality and Rights

Epilogue: Reflecting at the Memorials

App. A. State and Local Declarations of Independence, A Log: April-July 1776

App. B. Local Resolutions on Independence: Some Examples

App. C. The Declaration of Independence: The Jefferson Draft with Congress's Editorial Changes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [243]-285) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Maier, Pauline, 1938- American scripture.

ISBN:

0679454926

9780679454922

OCLC:

36446763

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description

Book review (H-Net)

Book review (H-Net)