I have been fortunate to receive support from many people. I would like to thank my editor, Wendy Lochner at Columbia University Press, for her constant enthusiasm for the project, as well as three anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful feedback, which substantially improved the quality of the final manuscript. I would like to thank my colleagues at University of Detroit Mercy for providing support and encouragement throughout the process, especially Stephen Manning, Genevieve Meyers, Rosemary Weatherston, Amanda Hiber, Mary-Catherine Harrison, Megan Novell, Karl Ericson, and Sigrid Streit. I am particularly grateful to Michael Barry and Nick Rombes for taking time to offer incredibly helpful suggestions that informed the scope and some of the animating ideas in the book. My students at UDM provided the first testing ground for many of the book’s arguments, and I am grateful for their enthusiasm. For research assistance, I would like particularly to thank Jewuel Boswell and Lydia Mikail.
Beyond UDM, I am also thankful for the encouragement and friendship of Dan Skinner, Jeff Broxmeyer, Mark Navin, and Hunter Vaughan. In addition to reading numerous drafts of the manuscript and providing generous and thoughtful feedback throughout the process, Jon Keller has enriched my understanding of the American political tradition and has helped me become a clearer writer. Max Burkey’s influence on the manuscript cannot be overstated. Max always provided an ear to discuss many of the book’s ideas in its earliest stages, helped refine its final arguments, and has consistently pushed me to be a more expressive and honest writer.
Special thanks also go to my extended family, Arnold Zamalin, Marina Zamalin, Raya Zamalin, Emil Zamalin, Ron Powell, Frona Powell, Aaron Powell, and Liz Powell. Above all, I would like to thank my wife, Alison Powell, who has dedicated endless hours of her life to enriching mine. Her poetry and scholarship continue to inspire me in profound ways, and her companionship and friendship know no bounds. Without her presence in my life, this book would not have been written. My son, Sam, helps me grow day in and day out. His wisdom and endless capacity for finding magic and beauty in the world is truly humbling. My daughter, Anita, reminds me to appreciate the wonder of the unknown. Her smiles brighten my day, and her strength is energizing. It is to Alison, Sam, and Anita that I dedicate this work.