Who were the Progressive reformers arguing with? The answer might surprise you. Drawing together a veritable powerhouse of scholars from across the political spectrum, In Defense of the Founders Republic examines the historical roots of these critics as well as their potential contribution to current debates about government and role of politics and institutions in our constitutional republic. Profiles and debates across a variety of progressive-era dissenters including politicians, community activists, political scientists, and socialists create a more complete picture of the national conversation, and the development of this monumental American political era. With clear contemporary relevance, In Defense of the Founders Republic is required reading for anyone interested in the complete progressive debate.

In Defense of the Founders Republic is a timely book and should be read by all who want to understand the prevailing problems of governance in Washington and state capitols across the nation. This volume re-introduces us to a vibrant cast of intellectual and political leaders who warned a century ago against applying untested reforms to remake the American republic from its foundational roots. By re-discovering the arguments of the original critics of Progressivismcritics who ranged from conservatives to socialistswe begin to understand why America's representative institutions do not seem capable of meeting the challenges of our times.

Vorwort
Recovers criticism of the progressive movement via voices from across the political spectrum, clarifying a major period in American political development

Autorentext
Lonce Bailey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Shippensburg University, USA, where he teaches course on U.S. politics and public administration. He is the co-editor, along with Doug Harris, of The Democratic Party; Documents Decoded and The Republican Party, Documents Decoded. He also serves as the Academic Director for the US State Department's Study of the US Institute on American Politics and Political Thought, an academic institute for academics from overseas. Jerome M. Mileur is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA, where he taught courses on American politics and thought. He is coeditor, with Sidney Milkis, of Progressivism and the New Democracy (1999), The New Deal and the Triumph of Liberalism (2002), and The Great Society and the High Tide of Liberalism (2005).

Inhalt

1. Progressivisim and Its Critics. Lonce H. Bailey, Shippensburg University
2. James Madison: Architect of the First Founding. Jeffrey Leigh Sedgwick, University of Massachusetts Amherst
3. Nicholas Murray Butler: Universal Truths and the Foundations of Republican Institutions.
   Lonce H. Bailey, Shippensburg University
4. Henry Jones Ford: The President and Responsible Democracy. Lonce H. Bailey, Shippensburg University and Jerome M. Mileur, University of Massachusetts Amherst
5. William Howard Taft: The Constitutionalist as Critic of Progressivism. Paul M. Rego, Messiah College
6. Joseph G. Cannon: Partisan Majorities and Responsible Democracy. Douglas H. Harris,
   Loyola University Maryland
7. Elihu Root: Balancing Constitutionalism and Democracy. Robert J. Lacey, Iona College
8. Eugene V. Debs: Champion of Social Democracy. Jerome M. Mileur, University of Massachusetts Amherst
9. Laboratories of Reform: Wisconsin and Oregon. Jerome M. Mileur, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Lonce H. Bailey, Shippensburg University
10. American Politics Remade. Jerome M. Mileur, University of Massachusetts Amherst University
    Index