Origins. The divine right of kings -- The enigma of representation -- Inventing the sovereign people -- The people's two bodies -- The cautious revolution -- Colonial peoples -- Useful ambiguities. The people in arms: the invincible yeoman -- The people's choice: elections and electioneering -- The people's voice: instructions, petitions, associations -- The American way. The incautious revolution -- Inventing an American people -- From deference to leadership.
Summary
Morgan argues, in effect, that representative democracy is a tool to bolster rule by the powerful few over the many; the majority are thus led to believe they control their own destiny. In this quietly subversive rereading of our history, American colonists perfected the fiction of popular rule by involving voters in extravagant electoral campaigns and by insisting that elected representatives derived their power from their constituents. Meanwhile, elitist colonial rulers who owned considerable property pulled strings to get their way. --from vendor description
