Enlightened Republicanism

Enlightened Republicanism is the first book-length study of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia. It reveals the character and intent of his revolutionary politics, which sought to bring political life as much as possible into accord with the complex and varied demands of nature.

Written by one of Italy's leading historians, this book analyses the Neapolitan nobleman Gaetano Filangieri and his seven-volume 'Science of Legislation' in their historical context, expounding on his legacy for the histories of constitutional republicanism, liberalism, and political economy.

Why did the Founding Fathers fail to include blacks and Indians in their cherished proposition that "all men are created equal"? The usual answer is racism, but the reality is more complex and unsettling. In Bind Us Apart, historian Nicholas Guyatt argues that, from the Revolution through the Civil War, most white liberals believed in the unity of all human beings. But their philosophy faltered when it came to the practical work of forging a color-blind society. Unable to convince others-and themselves-that racial mixing was viable, white reformers began instead to claim that people of color could only thrive in separate republics: in Native states in the American West or in the West African colony of Liberia. Herein lie the origins of "separate but equal." Decades before Reconstruction, America's liberal elite was unable to imagine how people of color could become citizens of the United States. Throughout the nineteenth century, Native Americans were pushed farther and farther westward, while four million slaves freed after the Civil War found themselves among a white population that had spent decades imagining that they would live somewhere else. Essential reading for anyone disturbed by America's ongoing failure to achieve true racial integration, Bind Us Apart shows conclusively that "separate but equal" represented far more than a southern backlash against emancipation-it was a founding principle of our nation.

Fostering the "pursuit of happiness" was an avowed purpose of the American Revolution, but what was the phrase to mean in practice? How would the new society being created achieve what Enlightenment egalitarians called the "common good"? In this dual biography of Benjamin Franklin and his grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache, Jeffery A. Smith examines the careers of two of the most prominent journalists to advocate what became known as Jeffersonian republicanism. Franklin used his writings to encourage the kind of conscientious and public-spirited behavior he thought necessary if the majority of people were to secure free and prosperous lives. He impressed these ideals on Bache as he supervised his education in three countries and established him as a printer-publisher in Philadelphia. In the 1790s, as Federalists and Republicans battled over the course the United States would take in national and international affairs, Franklin's carefully indoctrinated protege became Jefferson's confidant and most fierce journalistic supporter. Franklin and Bache were among those envisioning a nation where liberty, learning, and a more even distribution of wealth would inaugurate a new epoch in human history. Published on the 200th anniversary of Franklin's death, this careful study offers a much-needed illumination of early American aspirations for a democratic future.

The book provides a thematic examination of republican theory from the Italian Renaissance, through seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century England, the late- eighteenth-century Enlightenment and the experiences of the early American republic to contemporary debates. It maps out a republican ideal type according to four themes - popular sovereignty, a view of history which is sensitive to systemic corruption, an insistence on civic virtue and, following Philip Pettit, a conception of liberty as non-domination. It evaluates the attractiveness of those themes to liberals, communitarians, socialists, environmentalists and feminists and examines their relevance to inhabitants of the non-Western world. The book contributes to several topical debates dealing with the distinctiveness of a specifically republican tradition, the eclipse of virtue-centred thinking in the eighteenth century, the reassessment of the United States revolutionary tradition, the merits of liberalism versus communitarianism and the waves of democracy which are currently celebrated and criticized worldwide.

In recent decades, historians of early-modern European political thought have tended to neglect the concept of monarchy and monarchism, focusing instead on the development of republicanism during this period. Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment aims to correct this imbalance by illustrating that many thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in fact, saw monarchy as a solution to the instability, chaos, and even violence of experiments with republican government. Editors Hans Blom, John Christian Laursen, and Luisa Simonutti have brought together outstanding scholars in the field to correct many of the misleading stereotypes about monarchy, and to explore the variety and dynamism of this form of government, in early-modern Europe. Contributors explore four major themes: monarchisms in the political thought of Spinoza, Bayle, Fénelon, Hume, and Montesquieu; enlightened Christian and millenarian monarchisms; defending and resisting absolute monarchy; and, finally, reflections on the British monarchy. Fascinating and timely, Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment will be of interest to historians, political theorists, political philosophers, and political scientists.

"Taylor's conception of government is based on the Lockean view that people are free, equal, and independent individuals who possess natural rights and should have the moral liberty to choose any form of government that suits them, without obligation to hereditary rulers or established social classes." "When John Taylor of Caroline is viewed from the twin perspectives of Lockeanism and Classical Republicanism, his ideas provide inspiration for any who are concerned about homogenization of culture and loss of individual freedom, nationally and internationally."--BOOK JACKET.

This examination of republicanism in an Anglo-American and European context gives weight not only to the thought of the theorists of republicanism but also to the practical experience of republican governments in England, Geneva, the Netherlands, and Venice.

Discover the importance of Republicanism in modern governance through an in-depth exploration of its evolution and contemporary relevance. This volume offers insights into the impact of civic virtue, freedom, and collective governance on today's political landscape. Chapter Highlights: 1. Republicanism: Core principles and historical roots. 2. Political Philosophy: Intersection with various political ideologies. 3. Republic: Distinct features of republican governance. 4. Republican: The role and responsibilities of the republican citizen. 5. Aristocracy: Tension between republicanism and aristocratic influences. 6. Jeffersonian Democracy: Jefferson's vision of agrarian republicanism. 7. Mixed Government: Safeguarding against tyranny. 8. Classical Republicanism: Renaissance revival and modern impact. 9. Republicanism in the U.S.: Evolution from the Founding Fathers to today. 10. Modern Republicanism: Adapting principles to contemporary challenges. 11. City-state: Role in promoting republican governance. 12. American Enlightenment: Intellectual currents shaping republican thought. 13. History of Political Science: Intersection with republican ideals. 14. Civic Virtue: Sustaining republican institutions. 15. Classical Radicalism: Egalitarian interpretations of republicanism. 16. Works by J.G.A. Pocock: Contributions to republican studies. 17. The Machiavellian Moment: Machiavelli's influence on republican thought. 18. Political Ideologies in the U.S.: Republicanism in U.S. political history. 19. Italian Renaissance: Revival of classical republicanism in Europe. 20. The Radicalism of the American Revolution: Republican ideals shaping the revolution. 21. Revolutionary Republic: Emergence and global impact. This comprehensive guide is essential for students, professionals, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of Republicanism, offering valuable insights that far exceed the cost.