Born after the Revolution; the first generation of Americans inherited a truly new world--and; with it; the task of working out the terms of Independence. Anyone who started a business; marketed a new invention; ran for office; formed an association; or wrote for publication was helping to fashion the world's first liberal society. These are the people we encounter in Inheriting the Revolution; a vibrant tapestry of the lives; callings; decisions; desires; and reflections of those Americans who turned the new abstractions of democracy; the nation; and free enterprise into contested realities.Through data gathered on thousands of people; as well as hundreds of memoirs and autobiographies; Joyce Appleby tells myriad intersecting stories of how Americans born between 1776 and 1830 reinvented themselves and their society in politics; economics; reform; religion; and culture. They also had to grapple with the new distinction of free and slave labor; with all its divisive social entailments; the rout of Enlightenment rationality by the warm passions of religious awakening; the explosion of small business opportunities for young people eager to break out of their parents' colonial cocoon. Few in the nation escaped the transforming intrusiveness of these changes. Working these experiences into a vivid picture of American cultural renovation; Appleby crafts an extraordinary--and deeply affecting--account of how the first generation established its own culture; its own nation; its own identity.The passage of social responsibility from one generation to another is always a fascinating interplay of the inherited and the novel; this book shows how; in the early nineteenth century; the very idea of generations resonated with new meaning in the United States.
#75879 in Books Simon Schuster 1988-05-15 1988-05-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x 1.30 x 5.50l; 1.60 #File Name: 0671662414640 pagesGreat product!
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very well research book on the struggle for statehood by ...By CustomerVery well research book on the struggle for statehood by the people condemned to roam the world as part of their biblical destiny. Real people are put on the magnificent historical vista covering a generation entrusted with the almost impossible task. As a writer commented; this is how history has to be written.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Better than I expectedBy PatteExcellent! Brings the events and people to life in a way that makes the reader actually FEEL something. Not just a dry history book or recitation of simple facts. Very good and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history and current status of Israel.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. O JerusalemBy Tom CurrieCovers an intense period in recent history and one cannot help but be humbled in the face the suffering; courage and faith that these people experienced. Well written; gripping story - this is a re read for me; think I first read the book in the 1980s and recent events in that troubled part of the world reminded me of the book and kindled an interest in reading it again; especially after numerous work related trips to the country in recent years.Delivery good; condition of product good
