Congress and the American Tradition (Library of Conservative Thought)

By James Burnham

Book Overview

Congress and the American Tradition is a non-fiction book written by James Burnham. The book focuses on the history and evolution of the United States Congress and its role in shaping American democracy. Burnham's analysis spans from the founding of the nation to the mid-20th century, examining the ways in which Congress has both upheld and challenged American traditions.The book is divided into three parts. The first section provides an overview of the history of Congress, including its origins, the development of the bicameral system, and the role of Congress in shaping the Constitution. The second section delves deeper into the workings of Congress, exploring the legislative process, the role of committees, and the ways in which Congress has responded to crises throughout American history.The final section of the book considers the future of Congress and American democracy. Burnham argues that the American tradition of representative government is under threat from a variety of forces, including the rise of executive power, the influence of interest groups, and the erosion of political parties. He suggests that in order to preserve the American tradition, Congress must adapt to these challenges and reassert its role as a coequal branch of government.Overall, Congress and the American Tradition is a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the history and future of the United States Congress. Burnham's writing is clear and engaging, making the book accessible to both students of American history and general readers interested in the workings of American democracy.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 116382237X
• ISBN13: 9781163822371
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Necessary Return to First Principles

Burnham's book is an outstanding historical overview of the nature of Congress as an institution. The strength of the work is in its thoughtful application of founding principles to the historical working and devolution of Congress up until the late 1950s. As such, the reader should not expect the book to deliver much in the way of specific therapeutic prescriptions for contemporary problems; it is far better utilized as a sobering reminder of basic requirements for an ordered republic, with current students of the American regime doing the applicative work to the issues of our own time.