The Liberal Tradition in America

This “brilliantly written” look at the original meaning of the liberal philosophy has become a classic of political science ( American Historical Review ). Winner of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award As the word “liberal” has been misused and its meaning diluted in recent decades, this study of American political thought since the Revolution is a valuable look at the “liberal tradition” that has been central to US history. Louis Hartz, who taught government at Harvard, shows how individual lib