Civilizing torture : an American tradition / W. Fitzhugh Brundage
- Bib ID:
- 8042593
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- Brundage, W. Fitzhugh (William Fitzhugh), 1959-, author
- Description:
-
- Cambridge, Massachusetts : The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2018
- ©2018
- 407 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
- ISBN:
-
- 9780674737662 (hardcover) (alkaline paper)
- 0674737660 (hardcover) (alkaline paper)
- Summary:
-
The pilgrims and merchants who first came to America from Europe professed an intention to create a society free of the barbarism of Old World tyranny and New World savagery. But over the centuries Americans have turned to torture during moments of crisis at home and abroad and have debated its legitimacy in defense of law and order. From the Indian wars to Civil War POW prisons and early penitentiaries, from "the third degree" in police stations and racial lynchings to the War on Terror, US institutions have proven to be far more amenable to torture than the nation's professed commitment to liberty would suggest. Legal and racial inequality fostered many opportunities for state agents to wield excessive power, which they justified as essential for American safety and well-being. Reconciling state violence with the aspirations of Americans for social and political justice is an enduring challenge. By tracing the historical debates about the efficacy of torture and the attempt to adapt it to democratic values, Civilizing Torture reveals the recurring struggle to decide what limits Americans are willing to impose on the power of the state. At a time of escalating rhetoric aimed at cleansing the nation of the undeserving, as well as ongoing military involvement in conflicts around the world, the debate over torture remains a critical and unresolved part of America's tradition.--
- Full contents:
-
- Introduction. A question of civilization
- The manners of barbarians
- Discipline in a young democracy
- Cruelty and the paradox of slave property
- Torture in the brothers' war
- Imperialist excesses
- Police station trespasses
- Cold War brutality
- The enemy within.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 337-391) and index.
- Subject:
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary, dramatic or musical work
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2018
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Request this item
Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.
Similar items
- American liberty asserted: or British tyranny reprobated: [electronic resource] : in a discourse, delivered on Wednesday, the 22d day of April, 1778, to the officers and soldiers of General Woodford's brigade, / by Fitzhugh Mackay, chaplain. ; [Two lines from Joel]
- White coat, clenched fist : the political education of an American physician / Fitzhugh Mullan
- Against torture / [compiled by John Iorns and Doug McNeill from material supplied by Amnesty International]
- Report on torture
- Torture in the eighties