Understanding American Thought
Explore key American books that shape national thought. Discover influential reads on culture, history, and ideology to understand America's mindset.
Book
Democracy in America
by Alexis de Tocqueville
A French aristocrat's account of the ways in which democratic ideals were applied in America during the nineteenth century.
Book
The Prince
by Niccolo Machiavelli
Here is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince . . . a king . . . a president. When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. In The Prince he envisioned would be unencumbered by ordinary ethical and moral values; his prince would be man and beast, fox and lion. Today, this small sixteenth-century masterpiece has become essential reading for every student of government, and is the ultimate book on power politics.
