Extremism in America: A Reader

Extremism takes many forms: racial, political, religious, economic. Despite the diversity of extremist thought, this collection of extremist ideologies and writings highlights the one thread that unites the various brands of extremism, whether leftist or rightist, historical or contemporary. The unifying motif is that there is always an enemy. The enemy can take the form of the government, communism, the patriarchy, African-Americans, gays and lesbians, men, welfare recipients, Jews, or corporations, but the presence of a clearcut ideological foe is always an intrinsic component of extremism. Providing a panoramic perspective on American extremism from the earliest days of the republic, the book is divided into thematic chapters, communism and anti- communism; race; social concerns, such as the family, education, and gender relations; economic matters, such as taxes and welfare; intentional communities, such as The Covenant The Sword and The Arm of the Lord; and organizations or individuals advocating radical decentralization, such as the Left Green Network or the Students for a Democratic Society. Familiar extremist forces--the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, Phyllis Schlafly—here meet lesser-known forces to paint a vivid and powerful portrait of life and thought on the political fringe.