New Releases by Arthur Meier Schlesinger

The Politics of Hope and The Bitter Heritage brings together two important books that bracket the tempestuous politics of 1960s America. In The Politics of Hope, which historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., published in 1963 while serving as a special assistant to President Kennedy, Schlesinger defines the liberalism that characterized the Kennedy administration and the optimistic early Sixties. In lively and incisive essays, most of them written between 1956 and 1960, on topics such as the basic differences underlying liberal and conservative politics, the writing of history, and the experience of Communist countries, Schlesinger emphasizes the liberal thinker's responsibility to abide by goals rather than dogma, to learn from history, and to look to the future. Four years later, following Kennedy's assassination and the escalation of America's involvement in Vietnam, Schlesinger's tone changes. In The Bitter Heritage, a brief but penetrating appraisal of the "war that nobody wanted," he recounts America's entry into Vietnam, the history of the war, and its policy implications. The Bitter Heritage concludes with an eloquent and sobering assessment of the war's threat to American democracy and a reflection on the lessons or legacies of the Vietman conflict. With a new foreword by Sean Wilentz, the James Madison Library edition of The Politics of Hope and The Bitter Heritage situates liberalism in the convulsive 1960s--and illuminates the challenges that still face liberalism today.

The distinguished political historian's journals provide an intimate history of post-war America, the writer's contributions to multiple presidential administrations, and his relationships with numerous cultural and intellectual figures.

Publisher Description

A biography of the Revolutionary War hero and leader of the Green Mountain Boys.

The author considers events that occurred during his lifetime and that contributed to America's rise to world power status, as told through his personal experiences in childhood, in college, and during war times.

Originally published: 1986. With new introd.

Examines the lessons of one polyglot country after another tearing itself apart or on the brink of doing so, and points out troubling new evidence that multiculturalism gone awry here in the United States threatens to do the same.

The bestseller that reminded readers of what it means to be an American is more timely than ever in this updated and enlarged edition, including "Schlesinger's Syllabus", an annotated reading list of core books on the American experience. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

A biography of the Senator who was assassinated in 1968, stressing the public and personal forces and events that shaped his life.

A selection of 15 essays with a 15-page introduction, a presidential chronology, and voting tables for 44 presidential elections.

An account of John F. Kennedy's campaign, election, and days as President.

Examines the economic facotrs that contributed to the American Revolution.