Reviews for The art of political thinking

The average rating for The art of political thinking based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-08-19 00:00:00 William Costello Sisson's work purports to show that a) there was a revolution in the United States in 1800 when Jefferson was elected President and b) that Jefferson saved democracy from faction (party). After reading this book, I just simply was NOT convinced of either point. First, while it was a hotly contested election, with some nail-bating moments for the contestents, Sasson in no way has shown that this was an actual revolution, even using his own definitions! Second, no, Jefferson did NOT save democracy. To support such a position, he tried to paint the first three adminstrations (two w/ Washington and one with John Adams) as leading the country into a counter-revolution with the goal of creating a de facto monarchy. Sorry, Sisson's argument fails to convince. In fact, reading between the lines and past Sisson's obvious partisonship for Jeffereson and barely contained contempt for Sisson's arch villian and Jefferson's "true" rival, Alexander Hamilton, I came to understand how Jefferson did nearly the opposite of his thesis... that in fact, Jefferson used loaded language to hark back to the revolution of 1776, painting himself as the true patriot and the supporters of Hamiltons economic program to rescue the United States from near bankruptcy and debt default as attempting to bring the US back into the British sphere of influence... and steal the power from the "people". Part of Jefferson's rhetoric was to claim that Hamilton was trying to set up a new "aristocracy" of "paper"(meaning non-gold coin money)... and painting himself as heir to a "natural aristocracy". In this, we can read between the lines and see that the real conflict was between the old style "lord of the manor" type aristocrat and the new burgeouning middle-class that was on its way to becoming the new "moneyed class" of "merchants and traders" whom Jefferson and his new faction / political party, the "Republicans" (as opposed to the "Federalists) decried. To really understand their hatred of this new class of business man, one should also read the classics of social comedy of manners from England of the time, such as the novels of Jane Austin, in which one learns of the old landed gentry's despising those "upstarts" who made their fortunes in "trade" (cue vicious gossipy laughter). Thus, Sisson misses the real point, that Jefferson didn't lead a revolution, he STOPPED one! Jefferson took back the reigns of executive and legislative power from the new merchant and trading class, which had is center in New England, and returned it back to the English style landed gentry, which in the US was represented by the likes of Jefferson, the Southern Planter, holders of land and slaves, Jefferson's ideal of the Gentleman Farmer. His, and his so called "Republican" party curtailed the real revolution toward a land of commercial opportunity where the likes of Benjamin Franklin, a man born with no property, could rise by his willingness to work hard at a trade. This book, far from elevating Jefferson in my eyes, gave me far greater appreciation for Hamilton and what he accomplished.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-30 00:00:00 Brian Mccabe I read this book when researching background information for my first novel (2nd and 6th Circles of Hell). Interesting to read. Non-fiction that gave me an insight into a side of colonial religions not easily found elsewhere. Good bibliography for further reading.