A Disquisition on Government

“Testimony from many countries and over several generations establishes Calhoun’s Disquisition as a classic of political thought and one of the most important American documents of its time period. Professor Cheek has presented this classic in just the right way for students.” – Clyde N. Wilson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, University of South Carolina; Editor, The Papers of John C. Calhoun

“The appearance of this splendid and inexpensive new edition of Calhoun’s Disquisition, edited by its most distinguished present-day student, should be a cause for celebration: not only for scholars of Calhoun or of the antebellum American South, but for all those who care about the protection of minority rights and the preservation of self-governance in a world of ever-centralizing economies and polities. Which is to say, for every thinking person in the 21st century.” – Wilfred M. McClay, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; author, The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America

“This new edition of Calhoun’s Disquisition, with Professor Cheek’s informative and provocative introduction, should find a wide audience among students of American political thought. Professor Cheek shows us why he ranks among the finest and most imaginative interpreters of Calhoun’s political thought.” – George W. Carey, Professor of Government, Georgetown University

“Love him or hate him (and Americans did and still do both), John C. Calhoun is one of the most original thinkers on this continent, second only to Thomas Jefferson.  Combining the ideas of Cato the Elder as well as John Calvin, Calhoun is best thought of as a Roman and Stoic Republican.  Here, the masterful Lee Cheek has expertly brought together all the essentials of this controversial but cherished thinker.”—Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History, Hillsdale College

“John C. Calhoun ranks as one of the most original and brilliant political thinkers in United States history.  Nearing death, he prepared his Disquisition on Government, a searching work of political theory, to assist his countrymen in reinvigorating the founders’ great experiment in republican government.  Thanks to H. Lee Cheek, one of Calhoun’s foremost modern interpreters, Calhoun’s reflections on the promise and peril of popular rule stand ready to assist us, if we have the wit to listen, in our own hour of need.” – Robert L. Paquette, Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History, Hamilton College