The Pursuit of Equality in American History

Since the Declaration of Independence, equality has been America's primary moral commitment. But equality of what? and for whom? In this completely revised second edition, the British historian J. R. Pole examines the concept of equality in American political, legal, and social thought. Applying psychological as well as historical analysis, he addresses the meaning of equality for Americans of different occupational class, ethnicity, religion, and gender. While J.R. Pole draws on many fields—religion, law, intellectual history, economics— The Pursuit of Equality in American History is best described as an account of America's moral history.