Conceived in Liberty
Encyclopedia
Conceived in Liberty, authored by Murray Rothbard
, is a 4-volume set covering the complete history of the United States
from the pre-colonial period through the American Revolution
.
that is at the heart of the history of the United States
.
In this detailed narrative history (1,668 pages) of the struggle between liberty and political power
, Rothbard offers an alternative to the two conventional interpretive devices. Against those on the right who see the American Revolution as a "conservative" event, and those on the left who want to invoke it as some sort of proto-socialist uprising, Rothbard views this period as a time of accelerating libertarian
radicalism
.
Rothbard also saw the American Revolutionaries as split into two camps. The first camp was those who wanted to demolish the British Empire's state apparatus in the colonies. The other camp wanted to keep the empire, but have Americans run it. (The state apparatus could be defined as the centralized institution of the crown such as the army, taxation, church establishment, commercial regulations and trade barriers, control of land development, banking, government debt, etc.) The first camp was the more libertarian, anti-federalist camp associated with Jefferson and Jackson. The second camp was the more federalist centralizing camp, associated with Hamilton and later the Whigs. They felt that in the right hands, the power of the centralized state could serve the public interest, an interest which neatly coincided with their interests. The conflict between these two factions is another part of understanding the revolution, its outcome, and its conservative and radical aspects.
According to H.A. Scott Trask, "Rothbard began but never completed the fifth volume to his American history series Conceived in Liberty." Trask describes the fragment of the fifth volume that remains as "fascinating and brilliant."
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
, is a 4-volume set covering the complete history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the pre-colonial period through the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Brief summary
Writing in the 1960s and 70s, Rothbard proposes that it is the struggle for human libertyLiberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
that is at the heart of the history of the United States
History of the United States
The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, although its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. The...
.
In this detailed narrative history (1,668 pages) of the struggle between liberty and political power
Political power
Political power is a type of power held by a group in a society which allows administration of some or all of public resources, including labour, and wealth. There are many ways to obtain possession of such power. At the nation-state level political legitimacy for political power is held by the...
, Rothbard offers an alternative to the two conventional interpretive devices. Against those on the right who see the American Revolution as a "conservative" event, and those on the left who want to invoke it as some sort of proto-socialist uprising, Rothbard views this period as a time of accelerating libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
radicalism
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
.
Rothbard also saw the American Revolutionaries as split into two camps. The first camp was those who wanted to demolish the British Empire's state apparatus in the colonies. The other camp wanted to keep the empire, but have Americans run it. (The state apparatus could be defined as the centralized institution of the crown such as the army, taxation, church establishment, commercial regulations and trade barriers, control of land development, banking, government debt, etc.) The first camp was the more libertarian, anti-federalist camp associated with Jefferson and Jackson. The second camp was the more federalist centralizing camp, associated with Hamilton and later the Whigs. They felt that in the right hands, the power of the centralized state could serve the public interest, an interest which neatly coincided with their interests. The conflict between these two factions is another part of understanding the revolution, its outcome, and its conservative and radical aspects.
Creation of the book
Rothbard said in a 1990 interview:"After the Volker FundWilliam Volker FundThe William Volker Fund was a charitable foundation established in 1932 by Kansas City, Missouri, businessman and home-furnishings mogul William Volker. Volker founded the fund with the purposes of aiding the needy, reforming Kansas City’s health care and educational systems, and combating the...
collapsed, I got a grant from the Lilly EndowmentLilly EndowmentLilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
to do a history of the U.S., which I worked on from 1962-66. The original idea was to take the regular facts and put a libertarian assessment on everything. But once I started to work on it, I found many facts that had been left out, like tax rebellions. So it got longer and longer. It turned into the five-volume Conceived in Liberty, covering the Colonial periodColonial AmericaThe colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
to the ConstitutionUnited States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. I don't like to completely chart out my research in advance. I go step by step and it always seems to get longer than anticipated. After Arlington House published volume four, they went out of business. Volume five, on the Constitution, was written in longhandCursiveCursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
and no one can read my handwriting."
According to H.A. Scott Trask, "Rothbard began but never completed the fifth volume to his American history series Conceived in Liberty." Trask describes the fragment of the fifth volume that remains as "fascinating and brilliant."
Contents of the 4 volumes
- Volume One covers the discovery of the Americas and the colonies in the 17th century (531 pages, including index).
- Volume Two covers the period of "salutary neglectSalutary neglectSalutary neglect was an undocumented, though long-lasting, British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws, meant to keep the American colonies obedient to Great Britain. Prime Minister Robert Walpole stated that "If no restrictions were placed on the colonies, they would...
" in the first half of the 18th century (294 pages, including index).
- Volume Three covers the advance to revolution, from 1760-1775 (373 pages, including index).
- Volume Four covers the political, military, and ideological history of the revolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and after (470 pages, including index).
Excerpts
- Volume I, Chapter 55, Pennsylvania's Anarchist Experiment: 1681-1690, Full text (slightly edited)
- Volume II, Chapter 33, The Growth of Libertarian Thought in Colonial America. Full text
- Volume II, Chapter 40, The American Colonies and the WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Online text (slightly edited)
Reviews
Publishing history
- Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises InstituteLudwig von Mises InstituteThe Ludwig von Mises Institute , based in Auburn, Alabama, is a libertarian academic organization engaged in research and scholarship in the fields of economics, philosophy and political economy. Its scholarship is inspired by the work of Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises...
, January 15, 2000. Hardcover. 1668 pages. ISBN 0-945466-26-9.
- Liberty Tree Press, September 1989. Paperback. ISBN 0-945999-23-2.
- New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House Publishers:
- Volume I. 1975. ISBN 0-87000-262-7.
- Volume II. 1975. ISBN 0-87000-316-X.
- Volume III. 1976. ISBN 0-87000-343-7.
- Volume IV. 1979. ISBN 0-87000-352-6.