The Shaping of Modernization Theory in Early American Republican Thought

FAIN: FR-10134-78

Glenn Brooks
Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3243)

To study the thought of early American political figures concerning the possibility and desirability of intentional modernization in the new republic. Concentrating on the period of the formation of the constitution, study would delve into the conflict between the political values of a traditional agrarian republic and the new forces of industrialization. Three elements in this conflict would be emphasized— the concept of the public good, the question of the appropriate size of the republic, and the role of the government as the promoter and regulator of scientific knowledge and the practical arts. The resolution of attitudes on these matters had a crucial bearing on the course of modernization in the United States.