“In this book, Professor Turley explores the meaning and future of democracy on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The book is divided into two halves. The first half looks back at the unique confluence of people and events that led to the establishment of the American Republic. Using Thomas Paine as a common thread through both the American and French Revolutions, Turley explores how one revolution led to the world’s oldest and most stable democracy while the other led to the “Terror.” The difference came down to the protections in the Madisonian system against “democratic despotism,” a tendency of democracies to devour themselves in majoritarian terror.
The second half of the book looks forward, exploring whether the American Republic can survive in the 21st Century in light of changes ranging from AI to robotics to global governance systems. Turley believes that the American Republic is uniquely suited to address those challenges, but it will require a return, not a rejection, of the core values that defined the American Revolution. That includes what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy” that affords citizens the freedom of self-determination and true independence. Drawing from sources across art, philosophy, history, literature, and economics, Turley presents a unique and passionate perspective on the future of American democracy.”
Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Bam!, Walmart, Hudson, and other sites.
I am also thankful for the positive early reviews of the book from liberals and conservatives.
“A masterpiece… a moving account on the very essence of liberty that should be on the shelf of every American.”– Mark Levin, host of Life, Liberty & Levin and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Turley demonstrates a discomforting, and painfully timely, truth: The phrase “democratic despotism” is not an oxymoron.”– George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist
“Rage and the Republic is Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”– Uri Berliner, contributing editor, Free Press and former senior business editor at National Public Radio
“A fascinating and inspiring account of the foundations of the American system…a must-read.”– Nadine Strossen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union
“[A] scholarly tour de force that could not be more timely.”– Charles Lane, author of The Day Freedom Died and nonresident senior fellow, the American Enterprise Institute
“Brilliant and riveting. The American Revolution comes alive, and so does the birth of the Constitution.”– Jed Rubenfeld, Yale Law Professor, author, and constitutional law expert
“[A] valuable contribution to American civic life.”– Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University
“In this riveting book, [Turley] revisits the past—focusing particularly on the remarkable life of Tom Paine and how the democratic principles of the French Revolution differed from our own—to identify the nature of the current threats to our liberties and our constitutional order. History has never been put to a better use.”– Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution
“A fluent take on history and politics from a thoughtful contrarian.”– Kirkus Reviews