Inventing the "American Way" The Politics of Consensus from the New Deal to the Civil Rights Movement

Winner of the Ellis W. Hawley Prize of the Organization of American Historians, this innovative study argues that postwar America was united not so much by identical beliefs, as by a shared conviction that a distinctive "American Way" existed and that the affirmation of such common ground was essential to the future of the nation. Wendy Wall traces the competing efforts of business groups, politicians, leftist intellectuals, interfaith proponents, civil rights activists, and many others over nearly three decades to shape public understandings of the "American Way." Along the way, she explores the politics behind cultural productions ranging from The Adventures of Superman to the Freedom Train that circled the nation in the late 1940s. She highlights the intense debate that erupted over the term "democracy" after World War II, and identifies the origins of phrases such as "free enterprise" and the "Judeo-Christian tradition" that remain central to American political life. By uncovering the culture wars of the mid-twentieth century, this book sheds new light on a period that proved pivotal for American national identity.

Wendy L. Wall is an Assistant Professor of History at Colgate University. She was previously a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.