How American slavery engendered a new political vocabulary used on both sides of the AtlanticHow is it, Samuel Johnson famously asked on the eve of the Revolution, that Americans could so vociferously demand freedom for themselves while so conspicuously continuing to deny it to those they held in slavery? With Seeking the High Ground, Matthew Mason helps answer that piercing question. As he shows, the language of slavery and freedom had long suffused Anglo...

Known today as “the other speaker at Gettysburg,” Edward Everett had a distinguished and illustrative career at every level of American politics from the 1820s through the Civil War. In this new biography, Matthew Mason argues that Everett’s extraordinarily well-documented career reveals a complex man whose shifting political opinions, especially on the topic of slavery, illuminate the nuances of Northern Unionism. In the case of Everett — who once pledged to march south to aid slaveholder...

Giving close consideration to previously neglected debates, Matthew Mason challenges the common contention that slavery held little political significance in America until the Missouri Crisis of 1819. Mason demonstrates that slavery and politics were enmeshed in the creation of the nation, and in fact there was never a time between the Revolution and the Civil War in which slavery went uncontested.The American Revolution set in motion the split between slave states and free states,...

Mason carefullydevelops a theology of prayer that builds on the dogmatic and moral theology of one of the most significant Reformed theologians of the past 50 years: John Webster.Ambitious in scope and exacting in analysis, this volume provides a creative and constructive exploration of the theology of prayer that grows out of Webster's theology and ethics when considered as a whole. Mason offers close theological readings of Webster's works against the backdrop of...

In the final years of his political career, President John Quincy Adams was well known for his objections to slavery, with rival Henry Wise going so far as to label him "the acutest, the astutest, the archest enemy of southern slavery that ever existed." As a young statesman, however, he supported slavery. How did the man who in 1795 told a British cabinet officer not to speak to him of "the Virginians, the Southern people, the democrats," whom he considered "in no other light than as Amer...

David Icke is probably the most famous conspiracy theorist in the world. His journey from football league goalkeeper to BBC sports presenter to Green Party spokesperson to controversial conspiracy theorist is so bizarre you couldn't make it up if you tried.Icke believes that interdimensional reptiles secretly run the world and we are all trapped in a holographic Matrix projected from Saturn. According to David Icke, we are beings of pure awareness and infinite consciousness who are...

Grief is a universal human response to death and loss. Mourning is an equally universally observable practice that enables the bereaved to express their grief and come to terms with the reality of loss. Yet, despite their prevalence, there is no unified understanding of the nature and meaning of grief and mourning. The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death, Loss, and Grief brings together fifteen essays from diverse disciplines addressing the topics of death, grief, and mourning. The ...

You didn't ask to lead. But the moment came-and everyone looked to you.The Mason Code: Leading in Unleadable Times is a powerful guide for reluctant leaders forged in the fire of crisis. Inspired by the character of Tom Mason from Falling Skies, this book reimagines his journey not as science fiction, but as a metaphor for real-world leadership when the world falls apart. Whether you're leading a family through chaos, a team through burnout, or a community through...

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.Ninjutsu, often shrouded in mystery and romanticized through popular culture, is an ancient japanese martial art deeply rooted in survival, espionage, and strategic warfare.The enigmatic figure of the ninja, with their unparalleled skills in stealth and subterfuge, has captured the imagination of people worldwide. However, much of what is popularly believed about ninjutsu is a mixture of myth, legend, and modern...

Should religious schools be an option? Should they receive public funding? Are they bad for community cohesion? What should we make of the charge that they indoctrinate? How should they be regulated? People disagree on the answers to these questions. Some maintain that religious schools should not be permitted. If parents want to raise their children in a particular faith at home, then that is up to them, but schools should not be involved. Others think it obvious that parents should be fr...

What is justice? Great political philosophers from Plato to Rawls have traditionally argued that there is a single, principled answer to this question. Challenging this conventional wisdom, David Miller theorized that justice can take many different forms. In Forms of Justice, a distinguished group of political philosophers takes Miller's theory as a starting point and debates whether justice takes one form or many. Drawing real world implications from theories of justice and exam...

Philosophy for Everyone begins by explaining what philosophy is before exploring the questions and issues at the foundation of this important subject.Key topics in this new edition and their areas of focus include:Moral philosophy – the nature of our moral judgments and reactions, whether they aim at some objective moral truth, or are mere personal or cultural preferences; and the possibility of moral responsibility given the sorts of things that cause behavior;...