Intellectual Origins of American Radicalism

Now an established classic, Intellectual Origins of American Radicalism was the 1st book to explore this alternative current of American political thought. Stemming back to the 17th-century English Revolution, many questioned private property, the sovereignty of the nation-state slavery, affirming the common man's ability to govern. By the time of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine was the great exemplar of the alternative intellectual tradition. In the 19th century, the antislavery movement took hold of Paine's ideas fashioned them into an ideology that ultimately justified civil war.

Preface

Introduction: The Right of Revolution

Truths self-evident

Certain inalienable rights

The Earth belongs to the living

Cast your whole vote

My country is the world

Conclusion: Bicameralism from Below

Index