American patriots : a short history of dissent / Ralph Young.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Young, Ralph, 1942- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dissenters--United States--History.

Dissenters.

Social reformers--United States--History.

Social reformers.

Democracy--United States--History.

Democracy.

Social problems--United States--History.

Social problems.

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

United States--Social conditions.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (301 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, 2024.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

In 2021, thousands of rioters stormed the US Capitol, and Americans on both sides of the aisle watched the destruction with horror. American Patriots contrasts this attack with the long history of American protest, and challenges us to explore our definition of dissent. Does it express a legitimate grievance or a smokescreen for undermining democracy? What are the limits of dissent? Where does dissent end and sedition begin?In a time when legitimate dissent is framed as unpatriotic, Young reminds us of the dissenters who have shaped our country's history. American Patriots is a necessary defense of our right to demand better for ourselves, our communities, and our nation.

There have been dissenting Americans for as long as there has been an America.In American Patriots, historian Ralph Young chronicles the key role dissent has played in shaping the United States. He explains that activists are not protesting against America, but pushing the country to live up to its ideals. As he guides the reader through the history of protest, Young considers how ordinary Americans, from moderates to firebrands, responded to injustice. He highlights the work of organizations like SNCC and ACT UP, and he follows iconic individuals like Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Woody Guthrie, charting the impact of their dissent. Some of these protesters are celebrated heroes of American history, while others are ordinary people, frequently overlooked, whose stories show that change is often accomplished through grassroots activism.Yet not all dissent is equal. .

A concise history that proves that dissent is patrioticThe history of America is a history of dissent. Protests against the British Parliament's taxation policies led to the American Revolution and the creation of the United States. At the Constitutional Convention the founders put the right to protest in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. In the nineteenth century, dissenters protested against the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, they demanded the abolition of slavery, suffrage for women, and fair treatment for workers. In the twentieth century, millions of Americans participated in the Civil Rights Movement, the antiwar movement, and second-wave feminism. In the twenty-first century, hundreds of thousands protested the war in Iraq, joined the 2011 Occupy movement, the 2017 Women's March, and the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprisings. The crowds grew larger than ever, but the sentiments expressed were familiar. .

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Introduction: Dissent and America

1. Dissent and the Shaping of a Nation

2. Progressives, Reformers, Radicals

3. War and Its Dissidents

4. Culture Wars in the Jazz Age

5. Depression and War

6. Conformity and Dissent

7. Civil Rights

8. Counterculture

9. Mobilization and Backlash

10. Dissent in a New Age

11. Dissent, Lies, and Insurrection

Conclusion: The Arc of Dissent

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Young, Ralph American Patriots

ISBN:

9781479826506

9781479826513

OCLC:

1405366946