What are historians to make of the paradox of American government? On one hand, Americans claim to value freedom from government interference in their lives, but on the other, Americans have also clamored for government interventions that have done everything from redistributing wealth to imposing a particular set of views on marriage, abortion, and religion.

Gary Gerstle gives a chronological history of American governance from the founding of the country to today. How has governance changed in America over the years? What role has the Constitution played in this?

Was the Constitution meant to protect liberty, or establish federal power? How did an early reliance on agriculture affect governance in early America?

Show Notes and Further Reading

Gerstle’s book is Liberty and Coercion: The Paradox of American Government from the Founding to the Present (2015).

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