{"product_id":"liberty-and-coercion-the-paradox-of-american-government-from-the-founding-to-the-present-9780691178219","title":"Liberty and Coercion: The Paradox of American Government from the Founding to the Present","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the conflict between federal and state power has shaped American history\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmerican governance is burdened by a paradox. On the one hand, Americans don't want big government meddling in their lives; on the other hand, they have repeatedly enlisted governmental help to impose their views regarding marriage, abortion, religion, and schooling on their neighbors. These contradictory stances on the role of public power have paralyzed policymaking and generated rancorous disputes about government's legitimate scope. How did we reach this political impasse? Historian Gary Gerstle, looking at two hundred years of U.S. history, argues that the roots of the current crisis lie in two contrasting theories of power that the Framers inscribed in the Constitution. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne theory shaped the federal government, setting limits on its power in order to protect personal liberty. Another theory molded the states, authorizing them to go to extraordinary lengths, even to the point of violating individual rights, to advance the good and welfare of the commonwealth. The Framers believed these theories could coexist comfortably, but conflict between the two has largely defined American history. Gerstle shows how national political leaders improvised brilliantly to stretch the power of the federal government beyond where it was meant to go--but at the cost of giving private interests and state governments too much sway over public policy. The states could be innovative, too. More impressive was their staying power. Only in the 1960s did the federal government, impelled by the Cold War and civil rights movement, definitively assert its primacy. But as the power of the central state expanded, its constitutional authority did not keep pace. Conservatives rebelled, making the battle over government's proper dominion the defining issue of our time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the Revolution to the Tea Party, and the Bill of Rights to the national security state, \u003ci\u003eLiberty and Coercion\u003c\/i\u003e is a revelatory account of the making and unmaking of government in America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-10382325\"\u003eGary Gerstle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/24\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 472\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.20w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691178219\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691178216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL040000\"\u003eAmerican Government | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL022000\"\u003eConstitutions\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-POL\"\u003ePolitical Science\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-POL010000\"\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Theory | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGary Gerstle\u003c\/b\u003e is the Paul Mellon Professor of American History at the University of Cambridge. His many books include \u003ci\u003eAmerican Crucible\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order\u003c\/i\u003e (both Princeton). He lives in Cambridge, England, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42655737446637,"sku":"9780691178219","price":37.27,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_75f2e261-d1c3-42e2-a100-1ceeca2563c9.jpg?v=1649282258","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/liberty-and-coercion-the-paradox-of-american-government-from-the-founding-to-the-present-9780691178219","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}