{"product_id":"john-adams-and-the-fear-of-american-oligarchy-9780691183244","title":"John Adams and the Fear of American Oligarchy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy American founding father John Adams feared the political power of the rich--and how his ideas illuminate today's debates about inequality and its consequences\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLong before the \"one percent\" became a protest slogan, American founding father John Adams feared the power of a class he called simply \"the few\"--the wellborn, the beautiful, and especially the rich. In \u003ci\u003eJohn Adams and the Fear of American Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e, Luke Mayville explores Adams's deep concern with the way in which inequality threatens to corrode democracy and empower a small elite. Adams believed that wealth is politically powerful not merely because money buys influence, but also because citizens admire and even identify with the rich. Mayville explores Adams's theory of wealth and power in the context of his broader concern about social and economic disparities--reflections that promise to illuminate contemporary debates about inequality and its political consequences. He also examines Adams's ideas about how oligarchy might be countered. A compelling work of intellectual history, \u003ci\u003eJohn Adams and the Fear of American Oligarchy\u003c\/i\u003e has important lessons for today's world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLuke Mayville\u003c\/b\u003e is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for American Studies at Columbia University. He is a contributor to \u003ci\u003eCommonweal\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50844959310098,"sku":"9780691183244","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b5a920de-bf81-48d0-989e-5731db890267.jpg?v=1737337673","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/john-adams-and-the-fear-of-american-oligarchy-9780691183244","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}