Is America Breaking Apart? With illustrations by Charles M. Russell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beacom, John H.

Contributor:

Russell, Charles M. (Charles Marion), 1864-1926, illustrator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Siksika Indians.

Indians of North America.

Indians of North America--Folklore.

Siksika Indians--Legends.

United States--Social conditions--1980-.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--Philosophy.

Genre:

Legends.

Folklore.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (164 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York, R.H. Russell, 1898.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Is the United States a nation of materialistic loners whose politics are dictated by ethnic, racial, religious, or sexual identities? This is what America has become in the eyes of many commentators. Americans seem to fear that their society is breaking apart, but how accurate is this portrayal and how justified is the fear? Introducing a balanced viewpoint into this intense debate, John Hall and Charles Lindholm demonstrate that such alarm is unfounded. Here they explore the institutional structures of American society, emphasizing its ability to accommodate difference and reduce conflict. The culture, too, comes under scrutiny: influenced by Calvinistic beliefs, Americans place faith in the individual but demand high moral commitment to the community. Broad in scope and ambition, this short book draws a realistic portrait of a society that is among the most powerful and stable in the world, yet is perennially shaken by self-doubt.Concern over the cohesiveness of American society, Hall and Lindholm argue, is actually a product of a shared cultural belief in human distinctiveness and equality. They find that this shared belief paradoxically leads Americans to exaggerated worries about disunity, since they are afraid that disagreements among co-equals will rend apart a fragile community based solely on consensus and caring. While there is little dissent among Americans over essential values, racism still abounds. Here the authors predict that the homogenizing force of economic participation might still be the key to mending the wounds of racial turmoil.By combining history, sociology, and anthropology, the authors cover a wide range of past and recent challenges to the stability of American society: from the history of unions to affirmative action, from McCarthyism to militant distrust of government, from early prejudice toward Irish and Italian immigrants to current treatment of African Americans. Hall and Lindholm do not skirt the internal contradictions and moral tensions of American society but nonetheless recognize the strength and promise of its institutions and culture. Their book is a vivid, sweeping response to the doomsayers in the reassessment of our society.

Contents:

Cover Page

Half-title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication Page

Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition

Preface

Introduction

Part One: The Growth of political stability

1. The state and the people

2. The National Question

3. The Challenge of class

4. The world in America, America in the world

5. Reprise

Part Two: Sociability in America

6. Conceptual Baselines

7. Sacred Values

8. Anti-Politics in America

9. Ambivalence about Association

10. Ethnicity as Choice, Race as Destiny

11. Two cheers for Homogeneity

Conclusion

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781400803293

1400803292

9781400803316

1400803314

9781400822843

140082284X

9781400811946

1400811945

OCLC:

191935987