The Battle for the American Mind: A Brief History of a Nation's ThoughtRowman & Littlefield, 2006 - 376 pages The Battle for the American Mind brings together religion, politics, economics, science, and literature to present a compelling history of the American people. In this brief and entertaining book, noted historian Carl J. Richard argues that there have been three worldviews that have dominated American thought--theism, humanism, and skepticism. Theists put their faith in God, humanists in man, and skeptics have faith in neither god nor man. Each worldview has had an epoch of domination, leading to the present "Age of Confusion" where theists, humanists, and skeptics battle one another for control of American hearts and minds. By clearly explaining what Americans believed, exploring why they did so, and showing how that impacted the nation's development, Carl J. Richard presents a unique portrait of the United States--past and present. |
Contents
The Protestant Reformation The Crucible of American Theism | 3 |
Early American Protestantism | 27 |
The Age of Humanism | 71 |
The Rise of Modern Humanism | 73 |
The Origins and Varieties of Republicanism | 111 |
Economic Theories | 151 |
Revivalism Reform and Romanticism in the Antebellum Period | 185 |
The Age of Skepticism | 235 |
The Rise of Modern Skepticism | 237 |
Pragmatism | 279 |
The Age of Confusion | 309 |
American Thought since World War II | 311 |
| 337 | |
| 347 | |
About the Author | |
Other editions - View all
The Battle for the American Mind: A Brief History of a Nation's Thought Carl J. Richard Limited preview - 2004 |
The Battle for the American Mind: A Brief History of a Nation's Thought Carl J. Richard Limited preview - 2004 |
Common terms and phrases
American Reformers American Thought Anglican antebellum argued Awakening Bainton Beecher believed Bergh and Lipscomb Burned-Over District Cambridge Catholic century Christ Christian church Civil claimed classical colonies concept Conkin considered Constitution contended corrupt culture Darwin democracy doctrine economic Emerson England Epicurean Essays experience faith founders Freud God's Harvard University Press Henry History human humanists individual innate Intellectual intuition Jesus John Adams John Calvin John Dewey Jonathan Edwards Madison Malthus Martin Luther Menand Metaphysical Club mind ministers mixed government modern moral natural law North Carolina Press original sin Oxford University Press Ozment philosophy political popular possessed Pragmatism produced progress Protestant Puritans Quaker Radical reason religion religious Republic republican revival Revolution Roman Scripture Second Great Awakening skepticism slaves Smith social Social Darwinism society species Stoic theists theory Thomas Jefferson tion Tradition transcendentalists truth Uneasy Center University of North virtue wealth Writings of Thomas wrote York