American Radicals

“In this electric debut, Jackson . . . eschews presidents and generals to construct a mesmerizing story of people who committed themselves to a vision of the United States based on ‘collectivity, equality, and freedom.’ . . . This is essential reading for anyone interested in how the U.S. became what it is today.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Jackson adeptly interweaves all these stories, connecting one radical thinker to another to show the sweep of progressive thought in the nineteenth century that continues to echo today. Abundantly detailing political movements and the characters who led them, this history appeals to a broad spectrum of readers.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Magnificent . . . This incisive and well-written overview of Americans who protested wrongs in their society deserves a wide readership. Many fine academic studies have covered the subjects here, but this account, written for a general audience, is authoritative and fast-paced and vividly portrays a crucial period.”—BookPage 

“The author’s account moves swiftly and interestingly. . . . Jackson’s book merits attention as a study in what she calls ‘slow-release radicalism,’ with seeming failures that eventually turned into successes. A useful survey of American activism and its lasting repercussions.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A forcefully argued and lyrical account . . . Readers interested in the history of social and radical movements, along with antebellum history, will find much to enjoy.”—Library Journal

“By recovering the passionate lives and words of idealistic radicals and reformers, Holly Jackson reveals the better angels of nineteenth-century America. Telling a powerful story in lucid prose, she reminds us of what people of courage and conviction can achieve against long odds and powerful foes.”—Alan Taylor, Pulitzer Prize­­­–winning author of American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750–1804

“American Radicals is a brilliant and timely firecracker of a book. Following the lives and activism of a diverse and fascinating cast of characters—men and women, black and white, all of them fearless—Holly Jackson has crafted a tale as dynamic and lively as America itself.”—Karen Abbott, author of The Ghosts of Eden Park and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

“A masterful history and a profound meditation on the limits of protest, American Radicals is immensely useful for today’s activists.”—Micah White, author of The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution

“Teeming with colorful and long-forgotten characters, Holly Jackson’s dazzling new history—at once wide-ranging and fine-grained—recovers anew the restless and improbable spirit of reform that animated America in the nineteenth century. American Radicals is a timely and powerful reminder that America has always been a work in progress—and that voices of protest echo with purpose and urgency across the generations. Amid the din of our daunting times, here is a history lined with hope.”—Brian Matthew Jordan, finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in History for Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War

“American Radicals is a wise and vivid history of the women and men who imagined a nation that would live up the ideals of untrammeled personal liberty and direct democracy and then dared to build movements and communities dedicated to that purpose. This is a book that will educate and thrill progressives of all ages.”—Michael Kazin, author of War Against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914–1918 and professor of history at Georgetown University

“Jackson gives readers stories that are inspiring, infuriating, hilarious, frustrating, and meaningful for our complicated present. An outstanding book that any modern radical should read.”—Erik Loomis, associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island and author of A History of America in Ten Strikes