num_pages: 1044
description: In this magisterial work, Sean Wilentz traces a historical arc from the earliest days of the republic to the opening shots of the Civil War. One of our finest writers of history, Wilentz brings to life the era after the American Revolution, when the idea of democracy remained contentious, and Jeffersonians and Federalists clashed over the role of ordinary citizens in government of, by, and for the people. The triumph of Andrew Jackson soon defined this role on the national level, while city democrats, Anti-Masons, fugitive slaves, and a host of others hewed their own local definitions. In these definitions Wilentz recovers the beginnings of a discontenttwo starkly opposed democracies, one in the North and another in the Southand the wary balance that lasted until the election of Abraham Lincoln sparked its bloody resolution. 75 illustrations.
language: English
title: The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
titlecomplete: The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln
genres: American, History, Biography, United States, American History, Philosophy, 19th Century, Politics, Political Science, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 1854
places: The United States of America
awards: awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Pulitzer Prize
category: History, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: Bancroft Prize
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company