The American Republic: Its Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny

First published in 1866, this book is a surprisingly thoughtful and theoretical approach to politics from an historical American intellectual. Brownson discusses America in the context of (1) what a “nation” is, (2) what a “constitution” is, both written and unwritten, (3) the relationship between the individual and the nation, (4) the relationship between the states and the federal government, and (5) the place of God in thinking about politics.