America's British Culture

by Russell Kirk

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It is an incontestable fact of history that the United States, although a multiethnic nation, derives its language, mores, political purposes, and institutions from Great Britain. The two nations share a common history, religious heritage, pattern of law and politics, and a body of great literature. Yet, America cannot be wholly confident that this heritage will endure forever. Declining standards in education and the strident claims of multiculturalists threaten to sever the vital show more Anglo-American link that ensures cultural order and continuity. In "America's British Culture", now in paperback, Russell Kirk offers a brilliant summary account and spirited defense of the culture that the people of the United States have inherited from Great Britain. Kirk discerns four essential areas of influence. The language and literature of England carried with it a tradition of liberty and order as well as certain assumptions about the human condition and ethical conduct. American common and positive law, being derived from English law, gives fuller protection to the individual than does the legal system of any other country. The American form of representative government is patterned on the English parliamentary system. Finally, there is the body of mores - moral habits, beliefs, conventions, customs - that compose an ethical heritage. Elegantly written and deeply learned, "America's British Culture" is an insightful inquiry into history and a plea for cultural renewal and continuity. Adam De Vore in "The Michigan Review" said of the book: "A compact but stimulating tract...a contribution to an over-due cultural renewal and reinvigoration...Kirk evinces an increasingly uncommon reverence for historical accuracy, academic integrity and the understanding of one's cultural heritage," and Merrie Cave in "The Salisbury Review" said of the author: "Russell Kirk has been one of the most important influences in the revival of American conservatism since the fifties. [Kirk] belongs to an show less

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95+ Works 4,320 Members
Russell Kirk (1918-1994) was the author of The Conservative Mind, Eliot and His Age, The Roots of American Order, and twenty-six other books in several fields. He was the president of two educational foundations, editor of the quarterly University Bookman, recipient of several literary awards, and has been a visiting distinguished professor on show more both sides of the Atlantic. James McClellan (1937-2005) was James Bryce Visiting Fellow in American Studies at the Institute of United States Studies of the University of London and before that Senior Resident Scholar at Liberty Fund Inc. Some of his works include Joseph Story and the American Constitutional and The Federalist: A Student Edition. Jeffrey O. Nelson is senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He edited two book collections-Redeeming the Time, by Russell Kirk, and Perfect Sowing: Reflections of a Bookman by Henry Regnery-and is co-founder of the Russell Kirk Center. show less

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Canonical title
America's British Culture

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Genres
Nonfiction, History, Politics and Government, General Nonfiction, Anthropology, Philosophy, Science & Nature
DDC/MDS
306.0973Society, government, & cultureSocial sciences, sociology & anthropologySocial Behavior - Dating, Marriage, DivorceSocial historyNorth AmericaUnited States
LCC
E169.1 .K549History of the United StatesUnited StatesGeneral
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67
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467,073
Rating
½ (3.50)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4