American Character, Colin Woodard
American Character, Colin Woodard
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American Character
A History of the Epic Struggle Between Individual Liberty and the Common Good

Author: Colin Woodard

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 9 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/15/2016

Synopsis

The struggle between individual rights and the good of the community has been the basis of nearly every major disagreement in our history, from the debates at the Constitutional Convention to the fights surrounding the agendas of the Federalists, the Progressives, and the Tea Party. In American Character, Colin Woodard traces these key strands in American politics through the four centuries of the nation's existence, and how different regions of the country have successfully or disastrously accommodated them.

Woodard argues that maintaining a liberal democracy requires finding a balance between protecting individual liberty and nurturing a free society. Going to either libertarian or collectivist extremes results in tyranny. But where does the “sweet spot” lie in the United States, a federation of disparate regional cultures that have always strongly disagreed on these issues? Woodard leads readers on a riveting and revealing journey through four centuries of struggle, experimentation, successes and failures to provide an answer.

About Colin Woodard

Colin Woodard is the author of numerous books, including Ocean’s End: Travels through Endangered Seas, American Nations: A History of Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, The Lobster Coast, and many others. He is a regular contributor to the Christian Science Monitor and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Randal on March 09, 2016

What is more important? An individual's right's or the common good of the community? This is the subject Woodard has taken on. He discusses the struggle between the two over the length of our countrie's history. I was surprised that the question first came up long ago, way back during the original......more

Goodreads review by David on May 04, 2016

Having previously read and enjoyed Colin Woodard's "American Nations", I knew that his latest book would likely be a worthwhile read but I enjoyed even more than I thought. I'm really glad however I read "American Nations" first as it really is the premise behind much of the ideological differences......more

Goodreads review by Alan on April 03, 2016

This is a fascinating panorama of American history, pointing out many of the facts, often unknown to most people today, about both the libertarian and communitarian strains of that history. It builds on Woodard's earlier book about the regional subcultures of American history and their roots in Engl......more

Goodreads review by Mike on March 29, 2016

This was a disappointment. 'American Nations' was a less biased more readable critique of the regional differences of the country. This often devolves into propagandistic sarcasm.......more

Goodreads review by Greg on December 15, 2016

The subtitle of Mr. Woodard's book admirably summarizes its focus: "A history of the epic struggle between individual liberty and the common good" in the US. As our Constitution's Bill of Rights indicates, the framers of this document strongly wished to protect individual rights from government encro......more

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