Edmund Burke (1729-1797) continues to command a major presence in the history and criticism of Western thought. A great deal of attention, accordingly, is paid to the philosophical and literary qualities of his writings. Such emphases, however, overlook what Browne argues to be Burke's most important legacy: his choice to engage principles through the media of public life. This achievement is illustrated by Burke's concern for virtue as a principle of civic action and responsibility.

Widely celebrated in its own time, Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address commands the regard of Americans from across the political spectrum. Delivered as the young nation found itself embroiled in bitter partisan struggles, the speech has been hailed as the Sermon on the Mount of good government.
Curiously, this masterpiece--the full text of which is reproduced in this volume--has never received sustained analysis. Here, Stephen Howard Browne describes its origins, composition, meaning, and delivery.
His wellcrafted argument and accessible prose offer a model of analysis for...

Widely celebrated in its own time, Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural address commands the regard of Americans from across the political spectrum. Delivered as the young nation found itself embroiled in bitter partisan struggles, the speech has been hailed as the Sermon on the Mount of good government.
Curiously, this masterpiece--the full text of which is reproduced in this volume--has never received sustained analysis. Here, Stephen Howard Browne describes its origins, composition, meaning, and delivery.
His wellcrafted argument and accessible prose offer a model of analysis for...

History tells us that on a day when the forces of civil government confront the forces of military might, no one knows what may follow. Americans believe that they have avoided this moment, that whatever other challengesthe country has faced, at least it never has had to deal with the prospects of a coup d etat. Stephen Howard Brownemaintains that this view is mistaken, that in fact the United States faced such a crisis, at the very moment when thecountry announced its arrival on the world scene in the spring of 1783 in a rustic meeting hall along the Hudson River near Newburgh, New York. The...