This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations.

James T. Kloppenberg presents the history of democracy from the perspective of those who established its principles, offering a fresh look at how ideas about representative government, suffrage, and the principles of self-rule and ideals ...

Shortly before the book was published in 1826, Morgan disappeared, and three Free Masons were later convicted of kidnapping. Although there were claims that Morgan had been murdered, others say that he was forced to leave the country.

The volume explores ways in which American ideas have circulated in different cultures.

This new Princeton Classics edition marks the fiftieth anniversary of the book's initial publication and includes a new preface by the author.