John Bascom and the Origins of the Wisconsin Idea

John Bascom and the Origins of the Wisconsin Idea

Author: J. David Hoeveler

Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780299307844

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In the Progressive Era of American history, the state of Wisconsin gained national attention for its innovative economic and political reforms. Amidst this ferment, the "Wisconsin Idea" was popularized—the idea that a public university should improve the lives of people beyond the borders of its campus. During his term as governor (1901–1906), Robert La Follette routinely consulted with University of Wisconsin researchers to devise groundbreaking programs and legislation. Although the Wisconsin Idea is often attributed to a 1904 speech by Charles Van Hise, then president of the University of Wisconsin, David Hoeveler argues that it originated decades earlier, in the creative and fertile mind of John Bascom. A philosopher, theologian, and sociologist, Bascom (1827–1922) deeply influenced a generation of students at the University of Wisconsin, including La Follette and Van Hise. Hoeveler documents how Bascom drew concepts from German idealism, liberal Protestantism, and evolutionary theory, transforming them into advocacy for social and political reform. He was a champion of temperance, women's rights, and labor, all of which brought him controversy as president of the university from 1874 to 1887. In a way unmatched by any of his peers at other institutions, Bascom outlined a social gospel that called for an expanded role for state governments and universities as agencies of moral improvement. Hoeveler traces the intellectual history of the Wisconsin Idea from the nineteenth century to such influential Progressive Era thinkers as Richard T. Ely and John R. Commons, who believed university researchers should be a vital source of expertise for government and citizens.


The History of Wisconsin, Volume IV

The History of Wisconsin, Volume IV

Author: John D. Buenker

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2013-03-05

Total Pages: 781

ISBN-13: 0870206311

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Published in Wisconsin's Sesquicentennial year, this fourth volume in The History of Wisconsin series covers the twenty tumultuous years between the World's Columbian Exposition and the First World War when Wisconsin essentially reinvented itself, becoming the nation's "laboratory of democracy." The period known as the Progressive Era began to emerge in the mid-1890s. A sense of crisis and a widespread clamor for reform arose in reaction to rapid changes in population, technology, work, and society. Wisconsinites responded with action: their advocacy of women's suffrage, labor rights and protections, educational reform, increased social services, and more responsive government led to a veritable flood of reform legislation that established Wisconsin as the most progressive state in the union. As governor and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., was the most celebrated of the Progressives, but he was surrounded by a host of pragmatic idealists from politics, government, and the state university. Although the Progressives frequently disagreed over priorities and tactics, their values and core beliefs coalesced around broad-based participatory democracy, the application of scientific expertise to governance, and an active concern for the welfare of all members of society-what came to be known as "the Wisconsin Idea."


The Fall of Wisconsin

The Fall of Wisconsin

Author: Dan Kaufman

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2019-07-09

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0393357252

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National bestseller "Masterful." —Jane Mayer, best-selling author of Dark Money The Fall of Wisconsin is a deeply reported, searing account of how the state’s progressive tradition was undone and Wisconsin itself turned into a laboratory for national conservatives bent on remaking the country. Neither sentimental nor despairing, the book tells the story of the systematic dismantling of laws protecting the environment, labor unions, voting rights, and public education through the remarkable battles of ordinary citizens fighting to reclaim Wisconsin’s progressive legacy.


The Politics of Resentment

The Politics of Resentment

Author: Katherine J. Cramer

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-03-23

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 022634925X

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“An important contribution to the literature on contemporary American politics. Both methodologically and substantively, it breaks new ground.” —Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare When Scott Walker was elected Governor of Wisconsin, the state became the focus of debate about the appropriate role of government. In a time of rising inequality, Walker not only survived a bitterly contested recall, he was subsequently reelected. But why were the very people who would benefit from strong government services so vehemently against the idea of big government? With The Politics of Resentment, Katherine J. Cramer uncovers an oft-overlooked piece of the puzzle: rural political consciousness and the resentment of the “liberal elite.” Rural voters are distrustful that politicians will respect the distinct values of their communities and allocate a fair share of resources. What can look like disagreements about basic political principles are therefore actually rooted in something even more fundamental: who we are as people and how closely a candidate’s social identity matches our own. Taking a deep dive into Wisconsin’s political climate, Cramer illuminates the contours of rural consciousness, showing how place-based identities profoundly influence how people understand politics. The Politics of Resentment shows that rural resentment—no less than partisanship, race, or class—plays a major role in dividing America against itself.


Twelve Ways to Save Democracy in Wisconsin

Twelve Ways to Save Democracy in Wisconsin

Author: Matthew Rothschild

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 9780299334949

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Wisconsin has become a laboratory for antidemocratic maneuvers that have considerably reduced citizen participation. This pocket-sized handbook is essential for politically aware citizens who want to reinstate constituent control of government as well as for journalists and organizers watching this crucial battleground state and political bellwether.


The Cruelty Is the Point

The Cruelty Is the Point

Author: Adam Serwer

Publisher: One World

Published: 2021-06-29

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 0593230809

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From an award-winning journalist at The Atlantic, these searing essays make a powerful case that “real hope lies not in a sunny nostalgia for American greatness but in seeing this history plain—in all of its brutality, unadorned by euphemism” (The New York Times). NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • “No writer better demonstrates how American dreams are so often sabotaged by American history. Adam Serwer is essential.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates To many, our most shocking political crises appear unprecedented—un-American, even. But they are not, writes The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer in this prescient essay collection, which dissects the most devastating moments in recent memory to reveal deeply entrenched dynamics, patterns as old as the country itself. The January 6 insurrection, anti-immigrant sentiment, and American authoritarianism all have historic roots that explain their continued power with or without President Donald Trump—a fact borne out by what has happened since his departure from the White House. Serwer argues that Trump is not the cause, he is a symptom. Serwer’s phrase “the cruelty is the point” became among the most-used descriptions of Trump’s era, but as this book demonstrates, it resonates across centuries. The essays here combine revelatory reporting, searing analysis, and a clarity that’s bracing. In this new, expanded version of his bestselling debut, Serwer elegantly dissects white supremacy’s profound influence on our political system, looking at the persistence of the Lost Cause, the past and present of police unions, the mythology of migration, and the many faces of anti-Semitism. In so doing, he offers abundant proof that our past is present and demonstrates the devastating costs of continuing to pretend it’s not. The Cruelty Is the Point dares us, the reader, to not look away.


Wisconsin on the Air

Wisconsin on the Air

Author: Jack Mitchell

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2016-08-16

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 087020761X

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An insider's peek behind the curtain at Wisconsin's beloved public broadcasting institutions, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television, authored by Jack Mitchell, the first employee of National Public Radio and head of Wisconsin Public Radio for 21 years.


Searching for Excellence and Diversity

Searching for Excellence and Diversity

Author: Eve Fine

Publisher: Wiseli

Published: 2012-12

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 9780615711782

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Recruiting, hiring, and retaining an excellent and diverse faculty is a top priority for colleges and universities nationwide. Yet faculty serving on search committees (or hiring committees) receive little or no education about the search process. Relying on both research and experience presenting hiring workshops to search committee members, the authors of this guidebook provide advice and recommendations for conducting an effective faculty search. The book includes practical suggestions for managing all stages of a faculty search as well as recommendations for ensuring that search committee members recruit women and members of underrepresented groups into their applicant pools and consciously avoid the influence of bias and assumptions in their evaluation of job candidates.