Dimensions
138 x 216 x 30mm
How Europe Imagined and America Realized the Enlightenment
Beginning with a survey of the origins and growth of 18th-century rationalism, Henry Steele Commager explains how the realisation of the great philosophers' ideals in Europe was inevitably frustrated by the counterweight of tradition and privilege. He points out that in America there were no such barriers. The principles of Enlightenment were written in law, crystallised into institutions, and sanctified by use. Although democracy was not absolute, in comparison with Europe, America could justifiably claim to be incorporating the ideals of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" into the daily lives of her people.
This book is a valuable contribution to our understanding of America's past - essential both for a true appreciation of America's European origins and her subsequent development into the most powerful nation of the 20th century.
