Cultus Americanus: Varieties of the Liberal Tradition in
American Political Culture, 1600–1865. By Brent
Gilchrist. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. 314p. $80.00.
In Cultus Americanus, Brent Gilchrist provides an
intellectually challenging account of American political culture. In
so doing, Gilchrist staunchly defends the notion of a liberal
consensus in American political life. However, this is not merely a
restatement of Louis Hartz's rightly famous theory. Instead, we are
offered a nuanced and thoughtful analysis of how American culture
delineates a “matrix” that reflects the interaction of myth,
religion, and ideology. The author goes to great lengths to
demarcate the differences and connections among these rich and
powerful concepts. In the process, he does an admirable job
articulating a fundamental liberalism that is at work in America.
Thus, he offers a powerful development of the Hartz thesis and takes
on those critics who see that theory as fraught with failings.
Indeed, Rogers Smith's Civic Ideals (1997) and
Cultus Americanus provide the materials for a
high-minded debate about how American politics was shaped in the
past and how our history continues to shape the present. This book
will be of interest to those interested in American political
history and thought, religion, and politics, as well as to theorists
in general.