Description: This book examines understandings of the government's role in addressing economic inequality during the American Founding. For many Founders, including Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Noah Webster, preventing or minimizing economic disparities was considered essential to the preservation of freedom and self-government.
Brief description: Clement Fatovic is associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University.
Review Quotes:
"Most Americans acknowledge our spiraling income inequality, but many worry that tackling it could cost us our freedom, and we are at an impasse. Clement Fatovic proposes to move forward by glancing back--to the Founding Fathers, who warned that if a republic really wants to stay free, it will guard against a lopsided distribution of property."--Woody Holton, author of Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution
"In a sophisticated, detailed, and compelling manner Clement Fatovic explores and explodes the founders concerns over economic inequality. This is an exceptionally timely study given the current heated debates over inequality in contemporary America. A must read for scholars and citizens alike!"--Richard Matthews, Department of Political Science at Lehigh University