Tom Paine's Iron Bridge: Building a United States by Edward G. Gray (English) Ha

Description: Tom Paine's Iron Bridge by Edward G. Gray The little-known story of the architectural project that lay at the heart of Tom Paines political blueprint for the United States. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams judged the author of Common Sense as having "a better hand at pulling down than building." Adamss dismissive remark has helped shape the prevailing view of Tom Paine ever since. But, as Edward G. Gray shows in this fresh, illuminating work, Paine was a builder. He had a clear vision of success for his adopted country. It was embodied in an architectural project that he spent a decade planning: an iron bridge to span the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia. When Paine arrived in Philadelphia from England in 1774, the city was thriving as Americas largest port. But the seasonal dangers of the rivers dividing the region were becoming an obstacle to the citys continued growth. Philadelphia needed a practical connection between the rich grain of Pennsylvanias backcountry farms and its port on the Delaware. The iron bridge was Paines solution. The bridge was part of Paines answer to the central political challenge of the new nation: how to sustain a republic as large and as geographically fragmented as the United States. The iron construction was Paines brilliant response to the age-old challenge of bridge technology: how to build a structure strong enough to withstand the constant battering of water, ice, and wind. The convergence of political and technological design in Paines plan was Enlightenment genius. And Paine drew other giants of the period as patrons: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and for a time his great ideological opponent, Edmund Burke. Paines dream ultimately was a casualty of the vicious political crosscurrents of revolution and the American penchant for bridges of cheap, plentiful wood. But his innovative iron design became the model for bridge construction in Britain as it led the world into the industrial revolution. Author Biography Edward G. Gray is a professor of history at Florida State University and the author of several important works in early American history. Review "Ed Gray deftly reveals Paine as a polymath who designed innovative bridges as well as radical politics. Vividly written and rich with insight, Tom Paines Iron Bridge illuminates the nexus of politics, science, and aesthetics in the Age of Revolutions." -- Alan Taylor, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Internal Enemy "If you thought nothing more could be said of Thomas Paine, you were wrong. Ed Grays new book is a game-changer. An iron bridge, a unified economy, a legislative heart of the union: Ed Gray demonstrates as never before Paines greater vision." -- Ray Raphael, author of A Peoples History of the American Revolution "In his engaging new book, Edward Gray introduces us to Thomas Paine, the visionary nation-builder. Paines design for an iron bridge to transcend the new nations divisions was in its way as revolutionary as his call for an independent American republic in Common Sense." -- Harvey J. Kaye, author of Thomas Paine and the Promise of America "Americans want to see the nations adolescence as a time of infinite possibility, and so did Thomas Paine. But Edward Grays engrossing account of Paines lifelong fixation on bridge-building reminds us that a host of human vices, from religious bigotry to political and sectional bias, were always there, waiting as patiently as the wolf at the door." -- Woody Holton, author of Abigail Adams Review Quote "In his engaging new book, Edward Gray introduces us to Thomas Paine, the visionary nation-builder. Paines design for an iron bridge to transcend the new nations divisions was in its way as revolutionary as his call for an independent American republic in Common Sense." Details ISBN0393241785 Author Edward G. Gray Short Title TOM PAINES IRON BRIDGE Pages 256 Language English ISBN-10 0393241785 ISBN-13 9780393241785 Media Book Format Hardcover Residence US Birth 1964 Year 2016 Subtitle Building a United States Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States DEWEY 320.51092 Illustrations 8 pages of illustrations Publication Date 2016-05-06 UK Release Date 2016-05-06 NZ Release Date 2016-05-06 US Release Date 2016-05-06 Publisher WW Norton & Co Imprint WW Norton & Co Audience General AU Release Date 2016-05-26 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:95877529;

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