Every man a king
Subtitle: a short, colorful history of American populists
By: Chris Stirewalt
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Twelve
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 210
ISBN-13: 9781538729762
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Politics and government; Politicians; Populism; Biography; History
Description: "From Fox News' politics editor Chris Stirewalt -- a fun and lively account of America's populist tradition, from Andrew Jackson and Teddy Roosevelt, to Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, and Donald Trump. Whatever the ideological fad of the moment, American populism has always been home to a fascinating assortment of charismatic leaders, characters, kooks, cranks, and sometimes charlatans who have--with widely varying degrees of success--led the charge of ordinary folks who have gotten wise to the ways of the swamp. This attitude of skeptical resentment also makes populism a fertile field for the work of conspiracy theorists and other enthusiastic apostates from civic convention. After all, if the people in power are found to be rigging one part of the system, why not the rest? EVERY MAN A KING tells the stories of America's populist leaders, from an elderly Andrew Jackson brutally caning his would-be-assassin, to William Jennings Bryan's pre-speech routine that combined equally prodigious quantities of prayer and food, to Ross Perot's military-style campaign that made even volunteers wear badges with stars to show rank. It is a rollicking history of an American attitude that has shaped not only our current moment, but also the long struggle over who gets to define the truths we hold to be self evident."--Dust jacket.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Making Americans (the hard way); title: Money matters (especially when it's gone); title: Social climbers (transitory states); title: Foolishness (for good and for ill); title: Enemies foreign (and damned sure domestic); title: The avengers (not so happy warriors); title: Everybody is saying (that giant sucking sound)