A Commercial Republic

A Commercial Republic is a kind of extended essay engaging a problem in a series of thematic chapters that are both learned (for the specialist) and thoroughly accessible (for the general reader). This is a feat not often attempted by scholars, and it is one too often discouraged (if not discounted) by academic scorekeepers. In the present case, Mike O’Connor has succeeded on both fronts, producing a crisp, clear survey of a large and burdened subject that is a pleasure to read and surely as informative as anything like it in the neighborhood bookshop."—The Historian

"The debate over government’s role in the economy will continue, and students of that debate would do well to read O’Connor’s A Commercial Republic—American Political Thought

"An ambitious work of intellectual history. O’Connor takes what he calls a case-study approach, picking one particular issue or idea from each period to help him dissect contemporary worries over the relationship between capitalism and democracy. O’Connor does an excellent job laying out the specific contexts for the various ideas he so carefully explores."—American Historical Review

"O’Connor has succeeded admirably in showing how previous generations have engaged with the policy controversies that continue to define the character of political economy in America."—Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"O'Connor’s retelling forces readers to think about how the long sweep of American History unfolded."—Journal of American History

“Mike O’Connor takes readers on a meticulously researched, elegantly written, and endlessly fascinating tour of America’s great economic brawls. Along the way he explodes one of the nation’s most stubborn myths. Forget the visions of a laissez-faire golden age. From the founding to the present day, the Americans have intertwined politics and economics—the United States has always been a commercial republic. This formidable book has much to teach scholars, citizens, and anyone who enjoys a well-told history.”—James A. Morone, author of Hellfire Nation and co-author of The Heart of Power

“With a thorough and learned examination of government policies and the American economy from Hamilton and Jefferson to the 1980s, O’Connor has written a major study for scholars, pundits and those interested in public affairs.”—Joyce Appleby, author of Shores of Knowledge: New World Discoveries and the Scientific Imagination