Series:

Library of Conservative Thought

2 total works

Cover of Collected Letters of John Randolph of Roanoke to Dr. John Brockenbrough

This volume presents a complete collection of correspondence between John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia, and his close friend Dr. John Brockenbrough, a Richmond physician. Randolph was an eloquent man, the most talented extemporaneous speaker of the House of Representatives in his day and often wrote biting social commentatary. Of special interest in this collection are his critical comments on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, John Marshall, and many other leading figures of the period. Randolph's correspondence with Brockenbrough touches upon the principal political controversies of his time, from the War of 1812 to South Carolina's Nullification Crisis of 1832. From the trial of Aaron Burr until his fantastic end in a Philadelphia hotel, John Randolph confided in John Brockenbrough. This book records the friendship of a gifted politician and a sober physician. It also reveals a great deal about an era of American history that ought to be studied more closely.

Cover of America's British Culture

America's British Culture

by Russell Kirk

Published 31 January 1993
It is an incontestable fact of history that the United States, although a multiethnic nation, derives its language, mores, political purposes, and institutions from Great Britain. The two nations share a common history, religious heritage, pattern of law and politics, and a body of great literature. Yet, America cannot be wholly confident that this heritage will endure forever. Declining standards in education and the strident claims of multiculturalists threaten to sever the vital Anglo-American link that ensures cultural order and continuity. In "America's British Culture", now in paperback, Russell Kirk offers a brilliant summary account and spirited defense of the culture that the people of the United States have inherited from Great Britain. Kirk discerns four essential areas of influence. The language and literature of England carried with it a tradition of liberty and order as well as certain assumptions about the human condition and ethical conduct. American common and positive law, being derived from English law, gives fuller protection to the individual than does the legal system of any other country. The American form of representative government is patterned on the English parliamentary system. Finally, there is the body of mores - moral habits, beliefs, conventions, customs - that compose an ethical heritage. Elegantly written and deeply learned, "America's British Culture" is an insightful inquiry into history and a plea for cultural renewal and continuity. Adam De Vore in "The Michigan Review" said of the book: "A compact but stimulating tract...a contribution to an over-due cultural renewal and reinvigoration...Kirk evinces an increasingly uncommon reverence for historical accuracy, academic integrity and the understanding of one's cultural heritage," and Merrie Cave in "The Salisbury Review" said of the author: "Russell Kirk has been one of the most important influences in the revival of American conservatism since the fifties. [Kirk] belongs to an