American Demagogue, J. D. Dickey
American Demagogue, J. D. Dickey
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American Demagogue
The Great Awakening and the Rise and Fall of Populism

Author: J. D. Dickey

Narrator: Traber Burns

Unabridged: 12 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/05/2019


Synopsis

A New York Times bestselling historian examines how demagoguery and the populism it inspires―for good and ill―is embedded in the very soul of our nation.In September 1740, New England experienced a social earthquake. It arrived not in the form of a great natural disaster or an act of violence, but with the figure of a twenty-year-old preacher. People were abuzz with his stunning oratory, his colorful theatrics, and his almost ungodly sense of power and presence.When George Whitfield arrived in the small towns and hamlets that made up the American colonies, he proved to be much more than anything the residents could have expected. His reputation and growing legend had been built on his brilliant speeches and frightening tirades, and his fame now engulfed what would become America. He demanded his listeners repent their sins and follow the true word of God―his. He had knowledge that only he could unlock for the American people.Whitefield’s message shook the country to its core. Overwhelmed with passion, his listeners cried, screamed, sang, and danced. Despite their ecstasy, though, the converted also felt a great deal of fear growing. For Whitefield’s message also carried a threat, and he brooked no dissent. Whitefield’s power over his listeners grew, and New England was in the uproar of a social revolution never seen before in America.Years later, they would call it a Great Awakening, and it would reorder the colonies and wend its way into the very fabric of what America would eventually become. Soon after Whitefield and his followers reached their zenith, things began to fall apart. And what once seemed so certain―a puritanical utopia―vanished like a dream, leaving the Awakeners stripped of their earthly power.American Demagogue is the story of this rapid rise and equally steep fall, which would be echoed by authoritarian populists in later centuries and American demagogues yet to come. As we enter a new era of populism and demagoguery on both sides of the spectrum, we need to understand America’s paradoxical passion and disdain for demagogues throughout our history. Though centuries have passed, the themes remain the same―anger, grievance, dissension, self-promotion, and even brute force―as this cycle of rise and fall continues.

About J. D. Dickey

J. D. Dickey is the author of Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC. His other work includes articles for newspapers such as Britain’s Daily Mail, magazines such as Rhapsody and Budget Travel, and online sites such as The Fix and Void magazine.

About Traber Burns

Traber Burns worked for thirty-five years in regional theater and has appeared in many television productions and commercials, including Lost, Without a Trace, Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, and others.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Christopher on April 06, 2022

A fine history of evangelicalism in Colonial America with a bait and switch title. You get a schism, and you get a schism! Everybody gets a schism! Dickey's "American Demagogue," released in 2019 at the height/nadir of the Trump presidency, leans too far into that fact and tries to sell itself as som......more

Goodreads review by Kris on November 21, 2019

Interesting how politics in c. 1740 weren't that different from politics now, just had a different gloss. Religious mania vs. anti-immigration, populism vs. anti-populism, etc. The wheel turns, but still goes back to where it began..........more

Goodreads review by Matthew on December 21, 2020

Great read that discusses the beginning of American politics getting in bed with the religious revivalist movement. Great read for those interested in the history of American politics, and will be surprised to find how much of what was started then is still heard in our political parties today.......more

Goodreads review by Kenneth on July 18, 2021

This was a highly readable, highly interesting account of the great awakening that spread throughout the American colonies from 1740 through the Revolutionary War. It is a thoroughly researched and deeply historical account and set entirely in its own context aside from a foreword and afterword whic......more

Goodreads review by Paul on September 27, 2022

I'll admit I was drawn to this volume at Bookshop Santa Cruz by the title, by a memory of my brilliant and now sadly departed grad school friend, Rob Cox, who did his PhD thesis in history on the Second Great Awakening, and by the cute, woodsy guy who was carting the book around the store. This is w......more


Quotes

“Dickey’s book contemplates the curious tendency of populism to veer off in radical directions that its originators (including Whitefield) do not intend. A sprightly, engaging narrative. For [Revolutionary] soldiers, what Whitefield preached was what they fought for: the spirit of Christ and of liberty.” Wall Street Journal

“Dickey chronicles events and personalities, teases out nuances, and delivers insights briskly and clearly…A thoughtful take on an intriguing period of American history.” Library Journal

“Politics intersected with this religious, populist fervor, and the seeds of the American Revolution were sown and began quickly to grow, affecting decades far beyond the Revolution itself.” Booklist