The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope (The William E. Massey Sr. Lectures in the History of American Civilization)

157 Pages·1999·0.52 MB·English

by  Andrew Delbanco

THE REAL
AMERICAN DREAM
THE WILLIAM E. MASSEY SR. LECTURES IN THE
HISTORY OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION
1998

THE REAL
AMERICAN
DREAM
A Meditation
on Hope
(cid:2)
A N D R E W
D E L B A N C O
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
cambridge, massachusetts
london, england
Copyright © 1999 by the President and Fellows
of Harvard College
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Gwen Nefsky Frankfeldt
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Delbanco, Andrew, 1952–
The real American dream: a meditation on hope /
Andrew Delbanco.
p. cm. — (The William E. Massey, Sr. lectures
in the history of American civilization ; 1998)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-674-74925-1 (cloth)
ISBN 0-674-00383-7 (pbk.)
1. United States—Civilization—Philosophy.
2. National characteristics, American.
3. Melancholy—Social aspects—United States—History.
4. Puritans. 5. Nationalism—United States—History.
6. Self—Social aspects—United States—History—20th century.
I. Title. II. Series.
E169.1.D416 1999
973′.01—dc21 99-21179
T O A L A N H E I M E R T
Perhaps in the ªrst years of his teaching he felt as a military
man might feel when obliged to read the prayers at a fu-
neral. He probably conceived what he said more deeply than
a more scholastic mind might have conceived it; yet he
would have been more comfortable if someone else had said
it for him. I think he was glad when the bell rang, and he
could be himself again until the next day. But in the midst
of this routine of the class-room the spirit would sometimes
come upon him, and leaning his head on his hand, he would
let fall golden words, picturesque, fresh from the heart, full
of the knowledge of good and evil.
george santayana on
william james

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Warm thanks are due to Professor Werner Sollors,
chair of the program in the History of American
Civilization at Harvard, and to his colleagues, for their
kind attentiveness during my week in Cambridge. I
was honored by the invitation to deliver the William
E. Massey Sr. Lectures, and touched by the many
friends, teachers, and former colleagues who made the
effort—some from afar—to attend. Christine McFad-
den, administrator of the program, was graciously ac-
commodating at every turn, and made my stay un-
eventful in the best sense. It was a particular pleasure
to talk, over a long lunch, with a group of graduate
students whose striking combination of ingenuousness
and professionalism greatly encouraged me about the
future of our ªeld.
vii
Acknowledgments
The lectures are published here substantially as they
were delivered, and I have not tried to disguise their
original form as a composition to be spoken. Yet I have
been conscious of differences between the word heard
and the word read, and I owe thanks to Aida Donald
and Camille Smith at Harvard University Press for
their patience while I made revisions with those differ-
ences in mind. As always, my wife, Dawn, gave me
criticism and encouragement when each was needed.
For these generosities, and for incalculably more, I
thank her.
viii
(cid:2)
CONTENTS
Prologue 1
1 GOD 13
2 NATION 45
3 SELF 81
Notes 121
Index 139