<p>Author of the Declaration of Independence, diplomat in France, leader of the opposition to the Federalists, president of the United States, critical conscience of the country, Thomas Jefferson is the most widely studied, fascinating and genuinely representative founding father of the entire age, a classical liberal 'philosopher-king' that America produced in the birth throes of the republic. Basani surveys Jefferson's views in the two-fold articulation - the rights of man and state's rights that represents the core of all his political ideas. While recent scholarship on the subject tend to portray a union devotee, non-individualistic, anti-property rights Jefferson, with communitarian, if not even proto-socialist undertones, this work will do Jefferson justice. After careful examination of his political theory, the readers will recognize Jefferson as a champion of limited government, natural rights, and antagonism of the states towards interference by federal powers.</p>

Liberty, State, & Union: The Political Theory of Thomas Jefferson

Politics & Social Sciences

Bassani, Luigi Marco

Politics & Government

Mercer Univ Pr

Author of the Declaration of Independence, diplomat in France, leader of the opposition to the Federalists, president of the United States, critical conscience of the country, Thomas Jefferson is the most widely studied, fascinating and genuinely representative founding father of the entire age, a classical liberal philosopher-king that America produced in the birth throes of the republic. Basani surveys Jefferson's views in the twofold articulation the rights of man and state's rights that represents the core of all his political ideas. While recent scholarship on the subject tend to portray a union devotee, non-individualistic, anti-property rights Jefferson, with communitarian, if not even proto-socialist undertones, this work will do Jefferson justice. After careful examination of his political theory, the readers will recognize Jefferson as a champion of limited government, natural rights, and antagonism of the states towards interference by federal powers.

History

Americas

Mercer University Press

<p>As a distinguished historian of political thought at the University of Milan, Italy, Professor Marco Bassani brings a cosmopolitan perspective to the study of American political thought unencumbered by such self-congratulatory myths as "American exceptionalism." He views America as an extension of European civilization. Having unleashed the modern state upon the world, Europeans now had the problem of how to control its inherent disposition to centralize power. In this they failed.This was not the case with the American founding. Whereas Europeans were burdened with heavy taxation, debt, and stood in fear of large standing armies, Americans, after 1800, paid no inland federal taxes, and by 1835 the national government was out of debt. By 1860, the national government had actually diminished in power to tax, spend, and incur debt from what it could do in 1790--while central power in modern European states grew continuously during that period. Yet Americans fought two major wars, built the industrial revolution, and more than tripled its territorial size. Bassani explains how the Constitution made this possible and how it was derailed by Lincoln's decision to invade and conquer eleven states that had lawfully voted to secede, rather than negotiate a separation.A combined majority of the House and Senate today is 269 (or 136 if both use a quorum). These small numbers will spend close to $5 trillion this year. Never has so much financial power been put in the hands of so few. Bassani's study shows that this did not have to happen.</p>

Chaining Down Leviathan: The American Dream of Self-Government 1776-1865

Abbeville Institute Press

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