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Thomas G. West

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Vindicating the Founders: Race, Sex, Class, and Justice in the Origins of America Paperback – November 28, 2000

by Thomas G. West (Author)

4.6 95 ratings

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This controversial, convincing, and highly original book is important reading for everyone concerned about the origins, present, and future of the American experiment in self-government.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Publication date

November 28, 2000
Dimensions

6.08 x 0.56 x 9.3 inches
ISBN-10

9780847685172
ISBN-13

978-0847685172
Lexile measure

1330L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

One of those rare publications that promises to shape the field of inquiry about the American founders for decades to come. -- Newt Gingrich

A pathbreaking book. The American people finally have a definitive answer to the distortions about the founding that liberals have been pouring into the American mind since the 1960s. I recommend this book heartily. It belongs on every bookshelf and in every classroom in America. -- Rush Limbaugh

Vindicating the Founders is important but (relatively) easy. Learning from them is more difficult. This book helps us learn from Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison. And there aren't many better teachers about America. -- William Kristol, editor, The Weekly Standard

Compelling, accurate, closely reasoned, and entirely convincing. -- Forrest McDonald, University of Alabama; author of We the People

A valuable contribution to history and government studies on the founding. -- Herman Belz, University of Maryland

Vindicating the Founders is an eloquent defense of the principles of the American founding by one of its most learned students. -- Dinesh D'Souza, American Enterprise Institute

West is committed to understanding the American founders accurately and in their own terms. His work is unfailingly penetrating and trustworthy, and I eagerly seek it out. -- Michael Novak, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, 1994 Templeton laureate

A provocative and interesting book. -- J. D. Born, Jr., Wichita State University

Americans can count themselves fortunate to have at the bar a scholar of West's erudition, good sense, and tenacity. ― The Weekly Standard

West shows how textbooks charge the American Founders with not conforming to present-day standards of political correctness. He also shows how the Founders nevertheless deserve the admiration that they used to receive from teachers and school children many decades ago. West's arguments are convincing. -- Leland B. Yeager, Auburn University

Mr. West presents a compelling and well-researched history of the founding fathers and their motives in establishing a new nation. Most important, he challenges effectively the gross misrepresentation of the founding fathers based on presentistic and misleading political judgments. -- Herb London, New York University

There are important lessons in this book for political thinkers. . . . By challenging popular new ideas and reviving unfashionable old ones, Mr. West contributes to the process of reclaiming the founders. ― The Washington Times

It's hardly news that in our time some Americans have taken to accusing the Founders of their country of hypocrisy. There is something decidedly cheap about such charges. They reek of ingratitude and imprudence. But they are being made by historians who want to substitute their own authority for the Founders' and it is necessary for someone to take them seriously enough to provide a refutation. Thomas West has risen to the occasion with Vindicating the Founders. ― The Wall Street Journal

West has written a powerful vindication of our common civic faith. -- Daniel J. Mahoney, Assumption College ― The American Enterprise

With prosecutorial rigor and scholarly erudition, West defends the Founding Fathers and their creation―the American republic―from the relentless assault both have undergone in recent decades. . . . West's tightly argued book adresses a problem that should be a concern to all―namely, the attack on basic American principles. ― Trenton Times

A political scientist at the University of Dallas, West has given us a book that challenges the reigning orthodoxy as expressed by the high priests of multiculturalism. Those who reflexively reject his thesis―the nation's founding is the source of our greatness―have a moral and intellectual duty to refute him. ― Society

Provocative book. . . . Vindicating the Founders is not only about justice, but about how to cultivate the whole cluster of virtues which 'are necessary for a people to be free.' West's admirable study begins a discussion that is long overdue. ― The Review of Politics

Thomas West has written a courageous book. -- author of The Myth of American Individualism ― Modern Age

This defense of the founders with their own words and voices is closely reasoned, sharply focused, and highly convincing. . . . This is a superb book. The historical research is excellent, the analysis quite penetrating, and writing quite lucid. This book is rich with truth and wisdom. It deserves a wide audience. ― Appelate Journal

A persuasive case . . . stunningly bold. ― William and Mary Quarterly

West not only scolds those academics who denigrate the brilliance of the founders, he also exposes their shameful prejudice toward those great men who molded the liberties we enjoy today. ― Indianapolis Star

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0847685179
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (November 28, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780847685172
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0847685172
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1330L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.08 x 0.56 x 9.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #332,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #205 in Political Parties (Books)
- #689 in U.S. Revolution & Founding History
- #1,502 in U.S. Political Science

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4.6 95 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

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Mark W. Johnson

Most Informative

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024

Verified Purchase

This is a comprehensive book. I would strongly recommend that anyone purchasing it log onto the Hillsdale College website and sign up for a free course, or several free courses, on the founding of this country. The book and the courses are eye openers if you are interested in finding how far we have drifted from the government of the founders . . . a government by the way, which would still work quite well today.

Helpful

J. P. Ledbetter

A must read for serious students of the American Experiment

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 1999

Verified Purchase

West paints a much more clear, uncorrupted and distinct picture of the Founders, their true philosophies and overall beliefs, than the radical and extremist of the left would have us believe. His argument is sound and justified to anyone who really studies the writtings of the founding erra with an open mind. He effectively dispells the current phobia that most scholars today have of giving them the respect and admiration they are due. Of course without such slander from present day acedemia, the far left would not be able to justifiy their restructuring and dismantling of the true vision of our heritage. Those who care nothing for the true meaning of liberty, justice, sacrifice and patriotism. And those who also crave simply power, single minded victory and justification for their special interest at any cost. The serious student of the founding erra who begins with the Bible, and moves through The Declaration of Independence, The Magna Carta, the Articles of Confederation, The Constitution of the United States, The Federalist Papers, We Hold These Truths (by Mortimer J Adler), Our Sacred Honor and others like The Death of Outrage and High Crimes and Misdemeanors can only become more firmly convinced of the truth about those great men and women who lived the founding of this, our great Republic. A nation that is the single most important light of the world. Yet a light which fades even as we prosper. The enlightened mind and serious student must also feel saddened by what so many in the Judicial, Legislative and Administrative Branches have done to this fragile treasure, in the long history of humanity lately. Especially those in the Senate and White House who have proven they hold no regard for the founding principles, philosophies and guidelines so distinctly laid out for us by the founders. Guidlines about the characters of our leaders and the immeasurable duty laid upon each and all of them. A duty which so many have failed to fullfill towards the American People over the last year. The Democrats have let the dream slip away. When there was a chance to reinvigorate into politics a new wave or virtue. They allowed the chance to slip through their fingers like sand. I applaud West and his work, his courage in a world that seems to have turned from the truth. Where honor and respect for the past no longer resignate in the minds of the educated. And I pitty those who do not, can not, or will not see the greatness of these founders. How sad to see so many turn away from the truth. Instead they support a new age of vengence against the founding fathers and mothers. Individuals whom we could learn so much from in todays chaotic downslide towards a less than virtuous society. This is a book for all ages; past, present and future and should be required reading from high school on.

24 people found this helpful

Helpful

Tim Hicks

Material not found in other history books

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

The author is clearly auditioning for a job in some conservative organization but he makes a compelling case that the narrative we typically hear about our founders needs to be revisited. In short, he claims they were mostly aware of the issues where they would receive criticism but many of them were either not relevant in their day or were a bridge too far to get the republic launched and would have to wait for another day. The book is laid out in an easy to digest format with a focus on straight reporting of the facts the author thought relevant.

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Char

Our history at its best

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

This such a great well researched and footnotes book. It shows just how much thought was put into our constitution and the struggle to include and correct social improprieties.

3 people found this helpful

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Clay Mallard

It is a very well documented history of just what ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

It is a very well documented history of just what the founding fathers used to write the document and a look , based on their background at that time in history the accepted relationship that existed between men, women, slaves and wealthy and non landowners.

Clay Mallard

6 people found this helpful

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Shelly K.

Vindicating The Founders

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2010

Verified Purchase

I ordered this book for my daughter for a Summer Reading Request by her school. The book arrived exactly as presented on Amazon.com. It is a very clean, unused, new book with no signs of wear. Perfect condition. I would definatly purchase from this dealer again. Super fast service and great packaging.
A+A+A+

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"ww2ross@comcast.net"

American exceptionalism explained in tidy little chapters

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

Demolishes leftist arguments that characterize our founding principles as immoral.

6 people found this helpful

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Craig Matteson

Cleansing the mental palate of political correctness

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2005

It is a crime that the founders of America are dismissed because they are represented as failing to meet our present PC standards of faux morality. This terrific book takes on every PC misconception about them and sets the record straight. While never presenting them is marble pillars of morality, the author puts all of the issues in their proper context and demonstrates clearly the intelligence, morality, and rightness of our founders.

One of the most famous of the old canards that you will still hear is that the founders only considered slaves to be 3/5 of a human being because it says so right there in the Constitution. How sad that misunderstanding and misrepresentation is. Because each state was given a number of representatives based upon the number of residents, the issue was whom do you count. You have to first ask yourself whom the representatives from the slave holding states would represent. The slaves? Of course not!

So, if the rights of the slaves were not going to be protected, to give their slaveholders the ability to count those slaves as people and thereby become over-represented in Congress would actually work against interests of those people trapped in slavery. Those opposing slavery wanted the slaves to remain uncounted for representation. The slaveholders wanted them to count as a full person (does that mean the slaveholders cared about the human rights of the slaves more than the abolitionists?). The compromise was to count them as 3/5. However, it is essential to remember that those who wanted the slaves counted as a whole person were uninterested in the rights of those human beings and those that wanted them uncounted actually had the interests of the slaves more in mind.

Professor West also takes on the issues of property rights, who had the right to vote and why, women and their rights at the time of the revolution, poverty, and immigration.

A good and informative read. Every student should read it as an antidote to the misinformation they get during their indoctrination at the public schools. This book will actually aid their education and help them develop a solid understanding of what is really at stake in our country. And it might spark some lively debate when they go to class armed with some information the teacher will likely find inconvenient or even bewildering. One of my daughters actually had to go to the blackboard and explain the 3/5 issue carefully to the teacher and class. The teacher commented that she had never thought of it that way before. Which, of course, means, that she had always taught it as a political tenet rather than history.

21 people found this helpful

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