A general-turned-powerbroker, his southern-born wife and revolutionist son, an ardent feminist, and assorted elitists, politicians, and newsmen cope with the passions, griefs, and realities of post-Civil War America

The effort to understand human nature in a political context is a daunting challenge that has been undertaken in a variety of ways and by a myriad of disciplines through the ages. From Plato to Hobbes and Burke, to Wallas and Oakeschott in our era, efforts have been made to provide some organic framework for the political study of mankind. What has added greatly to the complexity of the task is the increasing denial, even rejection, in the positivist and behaviorist traditions, of the very notion of a human nature. The work can be described as a series of interlocking propositions: the proverbial view of human nature can be explained by evolutionary theory. Biological differences between men and women are responsible for family, community and group life. Social evolution goes through stages which are recapitulated in the moral life of individuals. A well-defined federal system mirrors human development. And finally, for Fleming, most problems in social and political life stem from violations of this federalist system. Fleming's volume takes up a variety of issues: sex and gender differences, democracy and dictatorship, individual and familial patterns of association. He does so in the context of showing how forms of legitimate authority such as families, communities and nations establish such authority by appeals to human nature, and that these appeals, while presumably resting on empirical evidence, also confirm the existence of normative structures. Fleming's work is an effort of synthesis that is sure to arouse discussion and debate. It represents a serious addition to a literature retrieved from the historical dustbins to which it has been repeatedly consigned.

Product Description: Selections from Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, 1985-1995.

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Product Description: Book by Fleming, Thomas (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: From The Louisiana PurchaseLike many other major events in world history, the Louisiana Purchase is a fascinating mix of destiny and individual energy and creativity. . . . Thomas Jefferson would have been less than human had he not claimed a major share of the credit...read more

Product Description: In The Morality of Everyday Life, Thomas Fleming offers an alternative to the enlightened liberalism espoused by thinkers as different as Kant, Mill, Rand, and Rawls. Philosophers in the liberal tradition, although they disagree on many important questions, agree that moral and political problems should be looked at from an objective point of view and a decision made from a rational perspective that is universally applied to all comparable cases...read more

More than six hundred period paintings and illustrations highlight a dramatic, richly detailed portrayal of the people, events, ideas, and culture of the American War for Independence, from Lexington and Concord to Yorktown.

An absorbing, multifaceted portrait of America's most accomplished man of his time provides a perceptive look at Franklin's diverse roles as a journalist, author, scientist, inventor, stateman, and diplomat, from his youth in Boston until his death at the age of eighty-four, set against the backdrop of the birth of America. Reprint.

Evaluates Valley Forge as a point of departure to discuss the larger context of the Revolutionary War, linking the winter stay of the Continental Army during 1777 and 1778 to such key events as the negotiations with the French, the British occupation of Philadelphia, and the maneuvering of the Continental Congress. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

Profiles of West Point graduates from both sides of the Civil War conflict includes coverage of such figures as Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Stonewall Jackson, in a volume that traces the friendships they formed as cadets and continued throughout the war. Reprint.

Product Description: Now updated for 2007, this annual reference offers access to updates for more than 100,000 prescription and over-the-counter drugs, molecular entities, and generics and OTC products. Includes wholesale drug prices for 100,000 prescription drugs, OTC drugs, and medical supply items...read more

Discusses socialism as a political system, and details the history of socialist governments throughout the world.

An evaluation of the post-Revolution period offers insight into the instability that threatened the former colonies, citing such factors as the British army's occupation of New York City, the fledgling nation's bankruptcy, and stalled peace efforts.

Product Description: Narrates the saga of how the Mennonites left Prussia to avoid military service, went to southern Russia where they learned to raise Turkey Red wheat, and ultimately came to the United States where they helped make Kansas famous for its wheat.