Idea of Fraternity in America

<p><b>A complex intellectually jarring and valuable book one which reveals how early America became her true self as we now know her. --<i>Kirkus Reviews</i></b></p><p>The United States is currently experiencing a crisis of citizenship and democracy. For many of us there is a sense of forlornness caused by losing sight of human connectedness and the bonds of community. Originally published in 1973 and long out of print <i>The Idea of Fraternity in America</i> is a resonant call to reclaim and restore the communal bonds of democracy by one of the most important political theorists of the twentieth century Wilson Carey McWilliams.</p><p>This sprawling and majestic book offers a comprehensive and original interpretation of the whole range of American historical and political thought from seventeenth-century White Puritanism to twentieth-century Black American political thought. In one sense it is a long and sustained reflection on the American political tradition with side glances at other cultures and other traditions; in another sense it is an impressive beginning to an original and comprehensive theory of politics rooted in a new reading of a vast array of relevant sources. Speaking with a prescience unmatched by his contemporaries McWilliams argues that in order to address the malaise of our modern democracy we must return to an ideal of our past: fraternity a relation of affection founded on shared values and goals. This 50th anniversary edition which offers a critique of the liberal tradition and a new social philosophy for the future contains a new introduction from McWilliams's daughter Susan McWilliams Barndt. She writes At a time when many Americans are wondering how we got to where we are today . . . this book demonstrates that there is in fact a lot of precedent for what feels so unprecedented in contemporary American politics.</p>