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.

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

History

Bassani, Luigi Marco

Americas

Abbeville Institute Press

AMERICA WAS BORN OUT OF A REVOLUTION, the ideals of which became the foundation of conservatism: limited government, decentralization, states' rights, low taxes, no debt, economy and accountability in government, non-interventionist foreign policy, and a strict construction of the Constitution, principles that were best espoused by Thomas Jefferson. Until Lincoln's election in 1860, America was a Jeffersonian Republic. But after Lincoln's counter-revolution, which remade the Union, Jeffersonian political thought fell by the wayside. Yet in the 1880s and 1890s it made a brief comeback with Grover Cleveland, who tried to return the country to the Age of Jefferson. Yet Grover Cleveland would be the last of these Jeffersonian political fathers and the last president to uphold these traditional American values. As a mayor, governor, and president, he remained steadfast and committed to upholding Jeffersonian ideals at all costs. The issues he faced as a public servant are relevant to the present day: public character and behavior of our candidates, the role of government in the everyday lives of the people, the burden of taxation, the distribution of wealth, government involvement in an economic depression, monetary policy, and complex foreign affairs. By studying Cleveland's policies and ideals, we can relearn those forgotten lessons of ancient times and restore the American republic of republics.

Grover Cleveland: The Last Jeffersonian President

Biographies & Memoirs

Walters, Ryan S.

Historical

STEWARDS OF HISTORY DESCRIBES the impact of race, slavery, civil rights, and religion in one Southern family over five generations. The core figure of the book is General John Hartwell Cocke (1780-1866) a Virginia planter, antislavery advocate, and younger friend and contemporary of Thomas Jefferson. The book tells the story of the General's life and family, his conversion to Christianity and his moral objections to slavery. On a solid business and practical foundation the General carried out an emancipation project that lasted for twenty years before the onset of the Civil War.With General Cocke's story in the background, the second portion of the book examines civil-rights era Birmingham and the nonviolent movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King. It ponders the symbolism of Vulcan and the significance of the events in this industrial steel-making city to our ongoing "industry of history."The last section of the book provides an overview of the preceding chapters from a more philosophical standpoint, and suggests a paradigm or framework in which a moral act can be understood and evaluated. Stewards of History makes a strong plea for stewardship-for taking care of our land, our families, and our traditions - but, above all, for the stewardship of the soul. For this is the essence of our life, and of history.

Stewards of History: Land and Time in the Story of a Southern Family

Johnston, Caryl

WHAT WE HAVE KNOWN as “the South” has been for four centuries a major part of the American identity. This is true whether measured by population, territory, history, or culture, high and folk. In 2002 a group of scholars led by Donald Livingston founded the Abbeville Institute to combat intellectually the ongoing campaign to eliminate the South from “America,” a campaign now dominant in public discourse. Their intent was to defend, explore, and apply all that “is true and valuable in the Southern tradition,” which they believe has a permanent and constructive role for the present and the future. 
In pursuit of its mission The Institute has produced public programs across the land and has conducted 17 Summer Schools for college students (2019), many of whom have gone on to higher degrees.\nThe Institute publishes five articles a week, a weekly podcast, and houses an online library of about 1000 lectures and articles covering a variety of aspects of Southern history and culture—all of which are available online at no cost! 
This volume contains only a small representative sample of subjects addressed by the Abbeville Institute and of the distinguished body of thinkers who have participated. As an introductory volume, we invite you to join with the Abbeville Institute as they continue to explore what is true and valuable in the Southern tradition.\nContributors: David Aiken, Boyd D. Cathey, William Cawthon, Tom Daniel, John Devanny, Richard Gamble, Paul Gottfried, Paul C. Graham, Ben “Cooter” Jones, Thomas H. Landess, Donald Livingston, Brion McClanahan, Michael Martin, James Rutledge Roesch, Carey Roberts, Samuel C. Smith, Karen Stokes, Ryan Walters, Clyde N. Wilson, and Aaron Wolf

Exploring the Southern Tradition

Institute, Abbeville

THE SOUTHERN STATES democratically voted to leave the Union in 1860-61. Why Southern voters (the majority of whom did not own slaves) should wish to leave the Union is still hotly debated. This book explores a series of acts of antislavery violence between October 1859 and April 1861, committed by northerners, supported by Republicans, and winked at by the Republican Party (Harper's Ferry, northern prior support for the raid, northern post-facto endorsement of John Brown, the Helper book, the Texas troubles). When a Republican was elected to the White House in 1860, Southerners interpreted that as an endorsement of antislavery violence, so they voted to leave the Union.

How Radical Republican Antislavery Rhetoric and Violence Precipitated Secession, October 1859 - April 1861

White, David Jonathan

The Enduring Faulkner: Essays by M. E. Bradford, 1962-1992

Literature & Fiction

Bradford, M. E.

Essays & Correspondence

WHAT WE HAVE KNOWN as “the South” has been for four centuries a major part of the American identity. This is true whether measured by population, territory, history, or culture, high and folk. In 2002 a group of scholars led by Donald Livingston founded the Abbeville Institute to combat intellectually the ongoing campaign to eliminate the South from “America,” a campaign now dominant in public discourse. Their intent was to defend, explore, and apply all that “is true and valuable in the Southern tradition,” which they believe has a permanent and constructive role for the present and the future. In pursuit of its mission The Institute has produced public programs across the land and has conducted 17 Summer Schools for college students, many of whom have gone on to higher degrees. The Institute publishes five articles a week, a weekly podcast, and houses an online library of about 1000 lectures and articles covering a variety of aspects of Southern history and culture—all of which are available online at no cost! This volume contains only a small representative sample of subjects addressed by the Abbeville Institute and of the distinguished body of thinkers who have participated. As an introductory volume, we invite you to join with the Abbeville Institute as they continue to explore what is true and valuable in the Southern tradition. Contributors: David Aiken, Boyd D. Cathey, William Cawthon, Tom Daniel, John Devanny, Richard Gamble, Paul Gottfried, Paul C. Graham, Ben “Cooter” Jones, Thomas H. Landess, Donald Livingston, Brion McClanahan, Michael Martin, James Rutledge Roesch, Carey Roberts, Samuel C. Smith, Karen Stokes, Ryan Walters, Clyde N. Wilson, and Aaron Wolf

Virginia First: The 1607 Project

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Abbeville Institute Press publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Abbeville Institute Press

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Abbeville Institute Press publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

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

Grover Cleveland: The Last Jeffersonian President

Stewards of History: Land and Time in the Story of a Southern Family

Exploring the Southern Tradition

How Radical Republican Antislavery Rhetoric and Violence Precipitated Secession, October 1859 - April 1861

The Enduring Faulkner: Essays by M. E. Bradford, 1962-1992

Exploring the Southern Tradition

Virginia First: The 1607 Project