Bibliograph

John Adams and the fear of American oligarchy, Luke Mayville

Type

Label

John Adams and the fear of American oligarchy, Luke Mayville

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-203) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

John Adams and the fear of American oligarchy

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

940795158

Responsibility statement

Luke Mayville

Summary

Long before "the one percent" became a protest slogan, American founding father John Adams feared the power of a class he called simply "the few"--the rich. Mayville presents the first extended exploration of Adams's preoccupation with a problem that has a renewed urgency today: the way in which inequality threatens to corrode democracy and empower a small elite. Adams believed that wealth is politically powerful in modern societies not merely because money buys influence, but also because citizens admire and even sympathize with the rich. He thought wealth is powerful in the same way that beauty is powerful--it distinguishes its possessor and prompts reactions of approval and veneration. Citizens vote for--and with--the rich not because, as is often said, they hope to be rich one day, but because they esteem the rich and submit to their wishes. Mayville explores Adams's theory of wealth and power in the context of his broader concern about social and economic inequality, and also examines his ideas about how oligarchy might be countered

Table Of Contents

A perennial problem -- The goods of fortune -- Sympathy for the rich -- Dignified democracy -- American oligarchy

Classification