Joseph Kett – författare

The idea that citizens' advancement should depend exclusively on merit, on qualities that deserve reward rather than on bloodlines or wire-pulling, was among the Founding ideals of the American republic, Joseph F. Kett argues in this provocative and engaging book. Merit's history, he contends, is best understood within the context of its often conflicting interaction with the other ideals of the Founding, equal rights and government by consent. Merit implies difference; equality suggests sameness. By sanctioning selection of those lower down by those higher up, merit potentially conflicts with the republican ideal that citizens consent to the decisions that affect their lives. In Merit, which traces the history of its subject over three centuries, Kett asserts that Americans have reconciled merit with other principles of the Founding in ways that have shaped their distinctive approach to the grading of public schools, report cards, the forging of workplace hierarchies, employee rating forms, merit systems in government, the selection of officers for the armed forces, and standardized testing for intelligence, character, and vocational interests. Today, the concept of merit is most commonly associated with measures by which it is quantified. Viewing their merit as an element of their selfhood—essential merit—members of the Founding generation showed no interest in quantitative measurements. Rather, they equated merit with an inner quality that accounted for their achievements and that was best measured by their reputations among their peers. In a republic based on equal rights and consent of the people, however, it became important to establish that merit-based rewards were within the grasp of ordinary Americans. In response, Americans embraced institutional merit in the form of procedures focused on drawing small distinctions among average people. They also developed a penchant for increasing the number of winners in competitions—what Kett calls "selection in" rather than "selection out"—in order to satisfy popular aspirations. Merit argues that values rooted in the Founding of the republic continue to influence Americans' approach to controversies, including those surrounding affirmative action, which involve the ideal of merit.

Although it offers an appropriately complex treatment of the American past, Boyer/Clark/Halttunen/Kett/Salisbury/Sitkoff/Woloch/Rieser's THE ENDURING VISION: A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, 10th EDITION, requires no prerequisite knowledge from students. The approach is not only comprehensive, but readable, lively and illuminating. It is attentive to the lived historical experiences of women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans -- that is, of men and women of all ethnic groups, regions and social classes who make up the American mosaic. This text seeks to encourage students’ spatial thinking about historical developments by offering a map program rich in information, easy to read and visually appealing. Visual culture -- paintings, photographs, cartoons and other illustrations -- is investigated throughout all chapters in the volume.

Although it offers an appropriately complex treatment of the American past, Boyer/Clark/Halttunen/Kett/Salisbury/Sitkoff/Woloch/Rieser's THE ENDURING VISION: A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, 10th EDITION, requires no prerequisite knowledge from students. The approach is not only comprehensive, but readable, lively and illuminating. It is attentive to the lived historical experiences of women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans -- that is, of men and women of all ethnic groups, regions and social classes who make up the American mosaic. This text seeks to encourage students’ spatial thinking about historical developments by offering a map program rich in information, easy to read and visually appealing. Visual culture -- paintings, photographs, cartoons and other illustrations -- is investigated throughout all chapters in the volume.

THE ENDURING VISION: A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, VOLUME 2: SINCE 1865, 8E, International Edition’s engaging narrative integrates political, social, and cultural history within a chronological framework. Known for its focus on the environment and the land, the text is also praised for its innovative coverage of cultural history, public health and medicine, and the West--including Native American history. The eighth edition incorporates new scholarship throughout, includes a variety of new photos, and brings the discussion fully up to date with coverage of the 2012 presidential campaign. Based on the popularity of the “Going to the Source” feature, which was introduced in the previous edition, additional “Going to the Source” selections are offered online in the eighth edition. Available in the following split options: THE ENDURING VISION, Eighth Edition Complete, International Edition, Volume 1: To 1877, International Edition, and Volume 2: Since 1865, International Edition.

THE ENDURING VISION's engaging narrative integrates political, social, and cultural history within a chronological framework. Known for its focus on the environment and the land, the text is also praised for its innovative coverage of cultural history, public health and medicine, and the West -- including Native American history. The ninth edition incorporates new scholarship throughout, includes a variety of new photos, and brings the discussion fully up to date with coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign.