Voices of the Marketplace: American Thought and Culture, 1830-1860

ISBN: 0742532623

Author: Rose, Anne C.

Condition: New

Product Description The three decades before the Civil War have long been recognized as a time of crucial change in American society. In this comprehensive and insightful reinterpretation of antebellum culture, Anne C. Rose analyzes the major shifts in intellectual life that occurred between 1830 and 1860 while exploring three sets of concepts that provided common languages_Christianity, democracy, capitalism. Whereas many interpretations of American culture in this period have emphasized a single theme or have been preoccupied with the ensuing Civil War, Rose considers sharply divergent tendencies in religion and politics and a wide range of reformers, authors, and other public figures. She contends that although the key characteristic of the society in which Americans explored their ideas was openness, the freedom and creativity of antebellum thought depended on conditions of cultural security. Including works by African Americans, Irish Americans, Native Americans, and Jewish Americans that have seldom been seen in relation to the era's more famous masterpieces, Voices of the Marketplace provides a clearer portrait of antebellum America. Review Anne Rose'sVoices of the Marketplace weaves together important themes of antebellum politics, economy, and religion. As a result, this book moves beyond the traditional cubbyhole of scholarly understanding. This is new wine in a new bottle. -- Jean H. Baker, Goucher College, author of Mary Todd Lincoln: A BiographyThe breadth and interpretive skills displayed by the author are impressive. Rose's analytic sophistication and unsparing confrontation with complex disciplinary issues will make her book an important work for graduate students and faculty.Voices in the Marketplace provides an imaginative synthesis of antebellum culture and certainly raises issues, such as the danger of a tyrannical majority, that continue to receive lively attention in contemporary political debae. -- Valarie H. Ziegler, DePauw University -Journal of ReligionVoices in the Marketplace provides and imaginative synthesis of antebellum culture and certainly raises issues, such as the danger of a tyrannical majority, that continue to recieve lively attnetion in contemporary political debate. -- Valarie H. Ziegler, DePauw University -The Journal Of ReligionAnne Rose'sVoices of the Marketplace introduces a brilliant new scholarly voice to the studies of the early republic. . . . Rose reaches back to the Jacksonian era to offer a sensitive and highly accessible reading of the dynamism and introspectiveness of American cultural life. Her treatment of religious, reform, scientific, and artistic themes reveals a deep understanding of how their interconnections and inner tensions set the intellectual tone for the age. -- Bertram Wyatt-Brown, author ofThe Shaping of Southern Culture About the Author Anne C. Rose associate professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University.