Liberty and Coercion: The Paradox of American Government from the Founding to the Present

by Professor Gary Gerstle

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American governance is burdened by a paradox. On the one hand, Americans don't want "big government" meddling in their lives; on the other hand, they have repeatedly enlisted governmental help to impose their views regarding marriage, abortion, religion, and schooling on their neighbors. These contradictory stances on the role of public power have paralyzed policymaking and generated rancorous disputes about government's legitimate scope. How did we reach this political impasse? Historian Gary Gerstle, looking at two hundred years of U.S. history, argues that the roots of the current crisis lie in two contrasting theories of power that the Framers...Read more
  • ISBN10 0691178216
  • ISBN13 9780691178219
  • Publish Date 24 October 2017 (first published 3 November 2015)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Princeton University Press