The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and Character Since the 1880's

Henry Steele Commager

Yale University Press, Jan 1, 1950 - History - 476 pages

In a book written out of a passionate belief in the staying powers of the democratic principles, a noted historian has written a major work that may be described as an interpretation of American thought and character since the 1880s.
"Impressive in its inclusive sweep."--Joseph Wood Krutch, New York Times

Contents

• THE NINETEENTHCENTURY AMERICAN: 3
• THE WATERSHED OF THE NINETIES: 41
• TRANSITION YEARS IN LITERATURE AND JOURNALISM: 55
• JOHN FISKE AND THE EVOLUTIONARY PHILOSOPHY: 82
• WILLIAM James AND THE IMPACT OF PRAGMATISM: 91
• DETERMINISM IN LITERATURE: 108
• THE CULT OF THE IRRATIONAL: 120
• THE TRADITIONALISTS: 141
• RELIGIOUS THOUGHT AND PRACTICE: 162
• PART II: 197
• LESTER WARD AND THE SCIENCE OF SOCIETY: 199
• THORSTEIN VEBLEN AND THE NEW ECONOMICS: 227
• THE LITERATURE OF REVOLT: 247
• THE TRANSITION IN HISTORICAL LITERATURE: 277
• TURNER PARRINGTON BEARD: 293
• TOWARD A NEW SCIENCE OF POLITICS: 310
• THE APPLICATIONS OF POLITICAL THEORY: 336
• THE EVOLUTION OF AMERICAN LAW: 359
• POUND AND HOLMES: 374
• ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIETY: 391
• THE TWENTIETHCENTURY AMERICAN: 406
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 445
• INDEX: 469

About the author

Henry Steele Commager was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 25, 1902. He was educated at the University of Chicago. He taught history at New York University, Columbia University, and Amherst College. In addition to lecturing at many universities throughout the world, he was Harmsworth Professor at Oxford University and Pitt Professor at Cambridge University, where he was also an honorary fellow at Peterhouse College. His writings range widely over such topics as education, the Civil War, civil liberties, the Enlightenment, and immigration. Many of his books reflect his keen interest in constitutional history and civil liberties. He was also a documentarian, who has said to consider Documents of American History (1934), the 1988 edition of which he coedited with Milton Cantor, to be his most significant contribution. He died on March 2, 1998.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and Character Since the 1880's; History (Yale University Press); Yale paperbound; Yale paperbound. History
• Author: Henry Steele Commager
• Edition: unabridged
• Publisher: Yale University Press, 1950
• ISBN: 0300000464, 9780300000467
• Length: 476 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / General