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Defining Documents in American History: Liberalism

Publisher’s Note

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The Defining Documents in American History series, produced by Salem Press, offers a closer look at important historical documents by pairing primary source documents on a broad range of subjects with essays written especially for the series by expert writers, including historians, professors, researchers, and other authorities in the subject under examination. This established series includes forty-nine titles that present documents selected to illuminate specific eras in American history—including The Great Depression, Civil Rights, and Postwar 1940s—or to explore significant themes and developments in American society—The Free Press, Business Ethics, Prison Reform, and Slavery.

This set, Defining Documents in American History: Liberalism, offers in-depth analysis of 122 documents, including book excerpts, speeches, court rulings, legal texts, legislative acts, essays, newspaper and magazine articles, and interviews. These selections help define events surrounding liberalism in the United States in its many forms, and how those events have helped shape history.

The material is organized into four sections, each beginning with a brief introduction that examines the politics and policies of the United States through a variety of historical documents.

The first volume includes essays on the following topics:

  • Progressive Era Liberalism

  • Liberalism Writ Large: The New Deal and After

  • Core Liberalism: Civil Rights

  • The Core and More: Women’s and LGBTQ+ Rights

The second volume contains documents on the following topics:

  • Great Society Liberalism: the 1960s and ‘70s

  • Liberalism and the Environment

  • The New Era: Neoliberalism and Its Critics

The documents contained within these sections provide an overview of the history and significance of various forms of liberalism that have existed in the United States since the founding of the nation.

Essay Format

Each Historical Document is supported by a critical essay, written by historians and experts, that includes a Summary Overview, Defining Moment, About the Author, Document Analysis, and Essential Themes. An important feature of each essay is a close reading of the primary source that develops broader themes, such as the author’s rhetorical purpose, social or class position, point of view, and other relevant issues. Each essay also includes a section entitled Bibliography and Additional Reading that provides suggestions for further readings and research.

Appendixes

  • Chronological List arranges all documents by date.

  • Web Resources is an annotated list of websites that offer valuable supplemental resources.

  • Bibliography lists helpful articles and books for further study.

Contributors

Salem Press would like to extend its appreciation to all involved in the development and production of this work. The essays have been written and signed by scholars of history, humanities, and other disciplines related to the essays’ topics. Without these expert contributions, a project of this nature would not be possible. A full list of the contributors to this set with their affiliations appears following the Editor’s Introduction.

Citation Types

MLA 9th
"Publisher’s Note." Defining Documents in American History: Liberalism, edited by Michael Shally-Jensen, Salem Press, 2025. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=DDLiberalism_0002.
APA 7th
Publisher’s Note. Defining Documents in American History: Liberalism, In M. Shally-Jensen (Ed.), Salem Press, 2025. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=DDLiberalism_0002.
CMOS 17th
"Publisher’s Note." Defining Documents in American History: Liberalism, Edited by Michael Shally-Jensen. Salem Press, 2025. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=DDLiberalism_0002.