Jeff Taylor is professor of political science at Dordt College and author of Where Did the Party Go? William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy. He has written articles for, and been cited by, publications ranging from The American Conservative and LewRockwell.com to Green Horizon Quarterly and The Nation.

This is an ambitious examination of America's traditional rejection of centralized government and its embrace of dispersed power and locally responsive politics. Taylor argues that decentralism is much more than 'states' rights'; it means 'minimalistic government at every level.' Taylor covers a wide swath of American politics as he explores both the history and implications of decentralism. He begins with agrarianism and traces his narrative through the eras of state sovereignty, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Reagan revolution, and centralization . . . [S]tudents of American politics and history will . . . appreciate the rich detail of the narrative and the presentation of an interesting and important perspective on decentralization. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, research faculty, and professionals.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: The Quadratic Persuasion Chapter 2. The Country Party: Agrarianism Surveyed Chapter 3. Nullification and the Politics of State Sovereignty Chapter 4. The Path Not Taken by the Progressive Era and New Deal Chapter 5. Southern Democrats and Selective Devolutions Chapter 6. Me-Too Republicans and Averted Revolutions Chapter 7. Ronald Reagan: Conservatism Co-Opted Chapter 8. Dissident Voices in an Age of Centralization AppendicesA. Two Southern Populists with National AmbitionsB. Wilson and the Coming of WarC. Thomas Bayard, Grover Cleveland, and the Rise of Empire D. Personal Links between Taft ’52 and Goldwater ’64

Jeff Taylor is professor of political science at Dordt College and author of Where Did the Party Go? William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy. He has written articles for, and been cited by, publications ranging from The American Conservative and LewRockwell.com to Green Horizon Quarterly and The Nation.

This is an ambitious examination of America's traditional rejection of centralized government and its embrace of dispersed power and locally responsive politics. Taylor argues that decentralism is much more than 'states' rights'; it means 'minimalistic government at every level.' Taylor covers a wide swath of American politics as he explores both the history and implications of decentralism. He begins with agrarianism and traces his narrative through the eras of state sovereignty, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Reagan revolution, and centralization . . . [S]tudents of American politics and history will . . . appreciate the rich detail of the narrative and the presentation of an interesting and important perspective on decentralization. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, research faculty, and professionals.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: The Quadratic Persuasion Chapter 2. The Country Party: Agrarianism Surveyed Chapter 3. Nullification and the Politics of State Sovereignty Chapter 4. The Path Not Taken by the Progressive Era and New Deal Chapter 5. Southern Democrats and Selective Devolutions Chapter 6. Me-Too Republicans and Averted Revolutions Chapter 7. Ronald Reagan: Conservatism Co-Opted Chapter 8. Dissident Voices in an Age of Centralization AppendicesA. Two Southern Populists with National AmbitionsB. Wilson and the Coming of WarC. Thomas Bayard, Grover Cleveland, and the Rise of Empire D. Personal Links between Taft ’52 and Goldwater ’64

Jeff Taylor is professor of political science at Dordt College and author of Where Did the Party Go? William Jennings Bryan, Hubert Humphrey, and the Jeffersonian Legacy. He has written articles for, and been cited by, publications ranging from The American Conservative and LewRockwell.com to Green Horizon Quarterly and The Nation.

This is an ambitious examination of America's traditional rejection of centralized government and its embrace of dispersed power and locally responsive politics. Taylor argues that decentralism is much more than 'states' rights'; it means 'minimalistic government at every level.' Taylor covers a wide swath of American politics as he explores both the history and implications of decentralism. He begins with agrarianism and traces his narrative through the eras of state sovereignty, the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Reagan revolution, and centralization . . . [S]tudents of American politics and history will . . . appreciate the rich detail of the narrative and the presentation of an interesting and important perspective on decentralization. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, undergraduate students, research faculty, and professionals.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: The Quadratic Persuasion Chapter 2. The Country Party: Agrarianism Surveyed Chapter 3. Nullification and the Politics of State Sovereignty Chapter 4. The Path Not Taken by the Progressive Era and New Deal Chapter 5. Southern Democrats and Selective Devolutions Chapter 6. Me-Too Republicans and Averted Revolutions Chapter 7. Ronald Reagan: Conservatism Co-Opted Chapter 8. Dissident Voices in an Age of Centralization AppendicesA. Two Southern Populists with National AmbitionsB. Wilson and the Coming of WarC. Thomas Bayard, Grover Cleveland, and the Rise of Empire D. Personal Links between Taft ’52 and Goldwater ’64