public opinion

Discusses the influence of intellectuals on modern society, arguing that their impact on policies flows through their shaping of public opinion rather than their affect on powerful leaders, and examines the incentives and constraints from which intellectuals' views emerge and cases in which they have been grossly mistaken with regard to societal problems.

Describes the incidents at the beginning of the Civil War that nearly led the United States into another war with Britain.

Attempts to unearth the historic Benjamin Franklin from the images that have accumulated since the publication of his "Autobiography" in 1794, presenting him as the most benevolent and philanthropic of the Founders, unconcerned with the accumulation of wealth, conflicted over his place in the world, and a latecomer to the idea of American freedom.

Examines the cultural impact of the Constitution on the United States--its place in the public consciousness and its role as a symbol in American life.