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Author Read, James H., 1958-

Title Power versus liberty : Madison, Hamilton, Wilson, and Jefferson / James H. Read
Published Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia, 2000

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 201 pages) : illustrations
Contents 2. James Madison on Power and Liberty 25 -- 3. Alexander Hamilton as Libertarian and Nationalist 55 -- 4. James Wilson and the Idea of Popular Sovereignty 89 -- 5. Thomas Jefferson, Liberty, and the States 119
Summary Does every increase in the power of government entail a loss of liberty for the people? James H. Read examines how four key Founders--James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and Thomas Jefferson--wrestled with this question during the first two decades of the American Republic. Power versus Liberty reconstructs a four-way conversation--sometimes respectful, sometimes shrill--that touched on the most important issues facing the new nation: the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, federal authority versus states' rights, freedom of the press, the controversial Bank of the United States, the relation between nationalism and democracy, and the elusive meaning of "the consent of the governed."Each of the men whose thought Read considers differed on these key questions. Jefferson believed that every increase in the power of government came at the expense of liberty: energetic governments, he insisted, are always oppressive. Madison believed that this view was too simple, that liberty can be threatened either by too much or too little governmental power. Hamilton and Wilson likewise rejected the Jeffersonian view of power and liberty but disagreed with Madison and with each other. The question of how to reconcile energetic government with the liberty of citizens is as timely today as it was in the first decades of the Republic. It pervades our political discourse and colors our readings of events from the confrontation at Waco to the Oklahoma City bombing to Congressional debate over how to spend the government surplus. While the rhetoric of both major political parties seems to posit a direct relationship between the size of our government and the scope of our political freedoms, the debates of Madison, Hamilton, Wilson, and Jefferson confound such simple dichotomies. As Read concludes, the relation between power and liberty is inherently complex
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Madison, James, 1751-1836.
Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804.
Wilson, James, 1742-1798.
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826.
SUBJECT Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826
Wilson, James, 1742-1798
Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804
Madison, James, 1751-1836
Hamilton, Alexander, 1757-1804 fast
Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 fast
Madison, James, 1751-1836 fast
Wilson, James, 1742-1798 fast
Madison, James, (1751-1836) -- Contribution à la science politique. ram
Wilson, James, (1742-1798) -- Contribution à la science politique. ram
Jefferson, Thomas, (1743-1826) -- Contribution à la science politique. ram
Hamilton, Alexander, (1757-1804) -- Contribution à la science politique. ram
Wilson, James Politiker, 1742-1798. swd
Jefferson, Thomas. swd
Madison, James. swd
Hamilton, Alexander Politiker. swd
Subject Political science -- United States -- History -- 18th century
Power (Social sciences)
Authority.
Liberty.
Freedom
freedom.
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- History & Theory.
Authority
Liberty
Political science
Power (Social sciences)
Autorität
Freiheit
Politische Wissenschaft
Macht
Politieke ideeën.
Politieke macht.
Vrijheid.
Science politique -- États-Unis -- 18e siècle.
Libertarianisme -- États-Unis -- 18e siècle.
Pouvoir (sciences sociales) -- États-Unis -- 18e siècle.
Liberté -- États-Unis -- 18e siècle.
United States
USA
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780813924601
081392460X
0813919118
9780813919119