The cycles of American history
First sentence
IN THE BICENTENNIAL YEAR of American independence, almost two centuries after Crevecoeur propounded his notorious question, an American Indian writing on the subject "The North American" in a magazine addressed to American blacks concluded: "No one really knows at the present time what America really is."...
Description
What is the key to the American enigma? We cannot escape history; and in The Cycles of American History, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize, shows how our past shapes our present and foretells our future. In lucid and compelling prose, he confronts the major themes of the American experience: what the United States as an experiment in self-government is all about; the thirty-year rhythm of our politics; the American way in foreign affairs; the question of American imperialism; the origins and significance of the Cold War; government and the free market in American economic growth; the decay of the political parties; the aftermath of the imperial presidency; the crucial role of leadership in democracy. - Jacket flap.