The Origins of American Politics [Mass Market Paperback]

Bernard Bailyn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0394708652 | ISBN-13: 978-0394708652 | Publication Date: October 12, 1970 | Edition: 1st Vintage Books Ed

"An astonishing range of reading in contemporary tracts and modern authorities is manifest, and many aspects of British and colonial affairs are illuminated. As a political analysis this very important contribution will be hard to refute...."
—Frederick B. Tolles, Political Science Quarterly

"He produces historical analysis which is as revealing to the political scientist or sociologist as to the historian, of the significance of social and cultural forces on political changes in eighteenth-century America."
—John D. Lees, Cambridge University Press

"...these well-argued essays represent the first sustained and systematic attempt to provide a comprehensive and integrated analysis of all elements of American political life during the late colonial period...the author has once again put all students concerned with colonial America heavily in his intellectual debt."
—Jack P. Greene, The New York Historical Society Quarterly

"...Mr. Bailyn brings to his effort a splendid gift for pertinent curiosity. What he has found, and what patterns he has made of his findings, light our way through his longitudes and latitudes of scholarly precision."
—Charles Poore, The New York Times

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An astonishing range of reading in contemporary tracts and modern authorities is manifest, and many aspects of British and colonial affairs are illuminated. As a political analysis this very important contribution will be hard to refute .... "

-- Frederick B. Tolles, Political Science Quarterly

"He produces historical analysis which is as revealing to the political scientist or sociologist as to the historian, of the significance of social and cultural forces on political changes in eighteenth-century America."

-- John D. Lees, Cambridge University Press

"... these well-argued essays represent the first sustained and systematic attempt to provide a comprehensive and integrated analysis of all elements of American political life during the late colonial period...the author has once again put all students concerned with colonial America heavily in his intellectual debt."

-- Jack P. Greene, The New York Historical Society Quarterly

"...Mr. Bailyn brings to his effort a splendid gift for pertinent curiosity. What he has found, and what patterns he has made of his findings, light our way through his longitudes and latitudes of scholarly precision."

-- Charles Poore. The New York Times

From the Back Cover

"An astonishing range of reading in contemporary tracts and modern authorities is manifest, and many aspects of British and colonial affairs are illuminated. As a political analysis this very important contribution will be hard to refute .... "

-- Frederick B. Tolles, Political Science Quarterly

"He produces historical analysis which is as revealing to the political scientist or sociologist as to the historian, of the significance of social and cultural forces on political changes in eighteenth-century America."

-- John D. Lees, Cambridge University Press

"... these well-argued essays represent the first sustained and systematic attempt to provide a comprehensive and integrated analysis of all elements of American political life during the late colonial period...the author has once again put all students concerned with colonial America heavily in his intellectual debt."

-- Jack P. Greene, The New York Historical Society Quarterly

"...Mr. Bailyn brings to his effort a splendid gift for pertinent curiosity. What he has found, and what patterns he has made of his findings, light our way through his longitudes and latitudes of scholarly precision."

-- Charles Poore. The New York Times

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage Books Ed edition (October 12, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394708652
• ISBN-13: 978-0394708652
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucid Overview, July 22, 2002

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Origins of American Politics (Mass Market Paperback)

This brief book is the text of 3 lectures delivered by Bailyn in the late 1960s. The title is a little misleading, as it may lead readers to expect a description of the origins of our present political system. The book is actually concerned with how pre-Revolutionary politics generated the Revolution. Because of the format, Bailyn produced 3 concise analyses of key issues leading up to the American Revolution. The first lecture is essentially a summary of his superb "The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution", describing the ideology of the Revolutionaries. The second lecture is a structural analysis of politics in the colonies demonstrating their common elements and causes of political turbulence in the colonies. The third lecture shows how the combination of this particular ideology, the unstable structure of colonial politics/governence, and the specific series of events in the mid-18th century set the stage for the revolution.
In lecture one, Bailyn describes the basic ideology of the Revolutionaries. The main element of this ideology was a set of political concepts inherited from the 17th century as transmitted and interpreted by 18th dissenting political theorists. This description is solid and very interesting but pales by comparison with the brilliant scholarship and analysis of Bailyn's book on this subject. In the second lecture, Bailyn provides an interesting structural analysis of why colonial politics were perpetually unstable. In all colonies, the formal structure of government was supposed to reproduce the constitutional structure of Britain with the governers as royal substitutes, appointed councils as equivalents of the House of Lords, and elected bodies as the equivalents of the Commons. What the Colonies lacked were the informal networks of deference and patronage that guaranteed stability in Britain. The broad franchise and lack of a native aristocracy made it impossible to reproduce the British model. Bailyn shows in the third lecture how British attempts to impose their will, an set of expectations based on the British experience, were resisted by the colonists. These conflicts were then interpreted as fundamental constitutional assaults because the prevailing ideology in the Colonies was the oppositional idea propagated by critics of the British state.
This brief and clearly written book provides an excellent scheme for understanding the genesis of the Revolution.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, December 12, 1999

By 

eunomius (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Origins of American Politics (Mass Market Paperback)

Bailyn complements furthers his study of 18th century America by examining the political history of the colonies. He spends ample time discussing the political environment of each colony, with a special eye on conflicts and controversies. A major theme throughout is the conflict between the elective houses of the legislatures and the Crown appointed office of Governor. He documents individual cases such John Peter Zenger's famous trial and the King's College crisis in New York. Lastly, he pays special attention to the ideological proclivities of Americans. He gives special attention to the pervasive influence of Trenchard and Gordon's magnificent "Cato's Letters," as well as the politicla writings of Lord Bolingbroke. Ultimately, it is a subtle and overly stimulating piece of scholarship. Highly recommended

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bailyn=brilliance, May 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Origins of American Politics (Mass Market Paperback)

This book, along with Bailyn;s masterpiece, "The Idealogical Origins of the American Revolution," forms the perfect set for anyone interested in the ideas and history of 18th century America. In this volume, the origins of American political ideas and institutions are revealed with perfect lucidity. A fascinating read.