A History of Hope: When Americans Have Dared to Dream of a Better Future

By James W. Fraser

Book Overview

So Begins James Fraser in His Chronicle of the indomitable American Spirit that has kept us going even in our country's darkest days. Hope with the ability to see a better future for oneself and others, says Fraser, is the thing that powers the engine of the American Spirit. One of the most famous manifestations of hope in our history is Jefferson's "self evident" truth "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life. Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Hope, though, was never solely the province of leaders. In 1890, a group of impoverished people in New Mexico declared. "Our purpose is to protect the rights and interests of the people in general: especially those of the helpless classes." In the same century, looking toward freedom, the runaway slave Joseph Taper wrote "all are born free and equal." Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Seneca Falls Convention used Jefferson's template to assert the rights of women. In fact, throughout our history hope has been more frequently the enterprise of the agitator, the poet, and the organizer than the work of official leaders. Because of that. James Fraser's history of hope is really a history of the ordinary American who decided that limitations were unacceptable and a better life could be attained through hard work and determination. In these uncertain times, Fraser's look at the American ability to see through hardship and tragedy is more necessary than ever. Book jacket.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1403966001
• ISBN13: 9781403966001
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
• Length: 347 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.2"