One Nation Under Gold, James Ledbetter
One Nation Under Gold, James Ledbetter
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One Nation Under Gold
How One Precious Metal Has Dominated the American Imagination for Four Centuries

Author: James Ledbetter

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 14 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/13/2017

Synopsis

Worshiped by Tea Party politicians but loathed by sane economists, gold has influenced American monetary policy and has exerted an irrational influence on the national psyche for centuries. It is an existential quest that extends to today, as millions of investors remain entranced by the metal, and as right-wing presidential candidates present it as the antidote to our economic woes. Acclaimed author James Ledbetter traces the origins of our national obsession, revealing how gold's sacred status dates from precolonial days when conquistadors fanatically searched the New World for the gilded city of El Dorado. From William Jennings Bryan's legendary Cross of Gold speech of 1896, to FDR's ban on private gold ownership, to Nixon's 1971 decision to float the dollar and detach it from gold, Ledbetter's "really superb treatment" (Julian Zelizer) expertly explores the controversies around this hallowed metal, investigating for the first time what our centuries-long fixation ultimately reveals about the American identity.

About James Ledbetter

James Ledbetter is the editor of Inc. magazine and the author or editor of five previous books. His writing on business and politics has appeared in the New Yorker, the Nation, the New York Times, and many other publications.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Louis on July 13, 2017

James Ledbetter’s One Nation Under Gold: How One Precious Metal Has Dominated the American Imagination for Four Centuries examines the history of gold in the United States and how it has played such an important role in economic and monetary policy as well as popular imagination. When the United Sta......more

Goodreads review by Jon on April 14, 2024

What a slog. Obviously it's my fault for picking up a book on the gold standard and expecting it to be a thrill ride, but it left a lot on the table. This is almost exclusively a history and logistical evaluation of the gold standard, not really the economics or theory behind it. Quotes cited in the......more

Goodreads review by Warren on July 21, 2017

The cover promises to annoy gold bugs and bore anyone else. But it's content traces a fascinating development. It examines the relationship between America and gold over a very long time period. In that time, the American dollar like many currencies has used gold to establish its own legitimacy. Len......more

Goodreads review by Debbe on November 21, 2020

Personally I learned more about Gold in our nation than I needed to know. Seems to be able to turn a country on it's nose if handled the wrong way. I guess anything could. More for the bankers and the historical readers. I did enjoy the reference to The Wizard of Oz, The Yellow Brick Road being the......more

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