Adam Smith’s America : How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism

**The unlikely story of how Americans canonized Adam Smith as the** **patron saint of free markets** Originally published in 1776, Adam Smith's __The Wealth of Nations__ was lauded by America's founders as a landmark work of Enlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moral virtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons of economic thought in America. Glory Liu traces how generations of Americans have read, reinterpreted, and weaponized Smith's ideas, revealing how his popular image as a champion of American-style capitalism and free markets is a historical invention. Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how,...

The unlikely story of how Americans canonized Adam Smithas the patron saint of free marketsOriginally published in 1776, Adam Smith's The Wealth ofNations was lauded by America's founders as a landmark work ofEnlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moralvirtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons ofeconomic thought in America. Glory Liu traces how generations ofAmericans have read, reinterpreted, and weaponized Smith's ideas,revealing how his popular image as a champion of American-stylecapitalism and free markets is a historical invention. Drawing on atrove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story ofhow an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the Americanimagination and played a leading role in shaping American economicand political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the fatherof political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmlyassociated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the GreatDepression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him intothe preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of freemarkets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theoristsand public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith's originalintentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher.Charting the enduring fascination that this humble philosopher fromScotland has held for American readers over more than twocenturies, Adam Smith's America shows how Smith continuesto be a vehicle for articulating perennial moral and politicalanxieties about modern capitalism.

The unlikely story of how Americans canonized Adam Smith as the patron saint of free markets Originally published in 1776, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was lauded by America's founders as a landmark work of Enlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moral virtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons of economic thought in America. Glory Liu traces how generations of Americans have read, reinterpreted, and weaponized Smith's ideas, revealing how his popular image as a champion of American-style capitalism and free markets is a historical invention.Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith's original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher.Charting the enduring fascination that this humble philosopher from Scotland has held for American readers over more than two centuries, Adam Smith's America shows how Smith continues to be a vehicle for articulating perennial moral and political anxieties about modern capitalism.

The unlikely story of how Americans canonized Adam Smith as the patron saint of free markets Originally published in 1776, Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations was lauded by Americas founders as a landmark work of Enlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moral virtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons of economic thought in America. Glory Liu traces how generations of Americans have read, reinterpreted, and weaponized Smiths ideas, revealing how his popular image as a champion of American-style capitalism and free markets is a historical invention. Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smiths original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher. Charting the enduring fascination that this humble philosopher from Scotland has held for American readers over more than two centuries, Adam Smiths America shows how Smith continues to be a vehicle for articulating perennial moral and political anxieties about modern capitalism. "Originally published in 1776, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was lauded by America's founders as a landmark work of Enlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moral virtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons of economic thought in America. Glory Liu traces how generations of Americans have read, reinterpreted, and weaponized Smith's ideas, revealing how his popular image as a champion of American-style capitalism and free markets is a historical invention. Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith's original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher. Charting the enduring fascination that this humble philosopher from Scotland has held for American readers over more than two centuries, Adam Smith's America shows how Smith continues to be a vehicle for articulating perennial moral and political anxieties about modern capitalism."-- Provided by publisher