Contesting Democracy: Substance and Structure in American Political History, 1775-2000

In this statement about the state of the discipline, prominent scholars address and critique the entire sweep of American political history. Exemplifying the revitalizing power of the
new political history
and its renewed emphasis on large
P
politics, these writers have combined to produce an illuminating synthesis of the most recent work in the field. Focusing upon both the major policy issues in the politics of each period (substance) and the major social forces shaping politics (structure), these essays chronicle and evaluate the evolution of American politics and society over two and a quarter centuries. In the process, they reflect their authors’ collective commitment to a dynamic field of intellectual inquiry, while simultaneously highlighting key interpretive disputes within it.