The Star-Spangled Republic

Examining the cosmic conceit at the heart of early American political rhetoric Why does the American flag use stars to represent the states? In The Star-Spangled Republic , Eran Shalev answers this and many other questions, considering the cosmic imagery—so familiar today but so peculiar on reflection—that suffused the United States’ early political culture. In this comprehensive study, Shalev uncovers how “political astronomy”—the discussion and representation of politics through astronomical m