Location: Home :: Books on Philanthropy :: United States :: Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History

Need a quick gift? Try Amazon gift certificates.

Don't Forget To Visit:

The New Social Worker Online

SocialWorkJobBank

Online Continuing Education for Social Workers

Amazon.com Widgets

Related Categories

•	United States

History

Humanities

New Used Textbooks

•	General AAS

History

Humanities

New Used Textbooks

•	General AAS

Social Sciences

New Used Textbooks

Custom Stores

Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History

enlarge

Creators: Lawrence J. Friedman, Mark D. Mcgarvie
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$28.99~~
Buy Used: $17.21
You Save: $11.78 (41%)

New (10) Used (12) from $17.21

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.2

ISBN: 0521603536
Dewey Decimal Number: 361.76320973
EAN: 9780521603539
ASIN: 0521603536

Publication Date: March 22, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Light to moderate wear to the cover. Internal pages contain some notes/highlighting. All pages are legible and binding is strong.

Similar Items:

•	The Nonprofit Sector: A Research Handbook, Second Edition
•	American Philanthropy (The Chicago History of American Civilization)
•	State of Nonprofit America
•	American Foundations: An Investigative History
•	Making the Nonprofit Sector in the United States: A Reader (Philanthropic Studies)

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Professional historians address the dominant issues and theories offered to explain the history of American philanthropy and its role in American society. These essays develop and enlighten major themes, oftentimes contesting each other in the process. The overarching premise is that philanthropic activity in America has its roots in the desires of individuals to impose their visions of societal ideals, or conceptions of truth, upon their society. To do so, they organize in groups that frequently define themselves and their group's role in society.

Book Description
This book presents professional historians addressing the dominant issues and theories offered to explain the history of American philanthropy and its role in American society. The essays develop and enlighten the major themes proposed by the books' editors, oftentimes taking issue with each other in the process. The overarching premise is that philanthropic activity in America has its roots in the desires of individuals to impose their visions of societal ideals or conceptions of truth upon their society. To do so, they have organized in groups, frequently defining themselves and their group's role in society in the process.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars

A solid collection October 25, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I am puzzled by the acidity of the review by "J Onyx", who contrasts the supposedly unscholarly and "Marxist" authors of this collection with the scholarly "gentleman" Robert Bremner, who wrote various works on the history of American Philanthropy. J Onyx even speculates that these historians waited until Professor Bremner was gone before they published their writings. br /br /I was one of Professor Bremner's graduate students at Ohio State and assisted him with his revision of his classic work American Philanthropy. Bob Bremner was indeed a gentleman, and he treated other scholars with an irenic spirit even when he disagreed with them. It is impossible for me to imagine Bob Bremner being so uncharitable of other scholars as J Onyx, or engaging in such an acerbic and inaccurate misrepresentation of a work.br /br /This is an important collection of well-researched essays. Anybody interested in the role of philanthropy in American history must begin with this volume.

2 out of 5 stars

There is No Kind Giving, Just Vile Rich Men October 24, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Begin looking this book by carefully reading Friedman's Introduction. Like all his books, its theme is 'rich-man as boggy man', great man as mentally sick man. Friedman is a left wing academic, a true red diaper baby. Seriously, His mother and father were active, card carrying members of the American Communist Party during the days when it was a puppet of the Soviet Union. So are all the authors of the mediocre articles in the book. During the more traditionalist 1970s though esrly 1990s, Friedman keep this quiet, coming out only when he observed the tide turning. Just examine his books their dates. Until he made a name for himself by subtle trashing of Karl Menninger in an official biography (He bragged about being accused by Dr. Menninger's family for causing the death of Karl, with his book), Friedman published rediculous books in which he tried to shrink dead men with an amateurish grasp of psychoanalysis. br /br /The theme of this book is secular progressive, not history. The authors paint the rich man as boogey man, a left liberal stereotype image of America's great Philanthropists. Rich people are easy to stereotype because few Americans know any, including left liberals who are obsessed with them. The authors of this book have academic careers based on reinterpreting great men as cardboard stick figures who merely foul the American terrain, especially Friedman whose career consists of slandering men of action who are long dead, so they cannot defend themselves. br /br /According to the Friedman ganag, The wealthly philanthropist is just out to get you, out to control your life mind. How do they have time left for their extravagant socializing, boating out of control consumerism? Whether he claims to give to improve lives, reduce suffering, or simply to give something back to the people, don't you believe it! Friedman friends want you to know that they really are out to exploit and manipulate us all, after they are old and long gone. br /br /The good news is that the "work" of most American academics is forgotten before they retire. And quick they are to take early retirement offers! Ask Friedman how many he has taken (so far). br /br /Never you mind the Ford family denouncement of the Ford Foundation, taken over by extreme neo-marxists (who take over charities and foundations in order to use them to give people--anarchy?) or the complaints of several of the families discussed in this book, families who object to secular progressive or neo-marxist take overs of their great ancestor's philanthropic foundation. But "scholars" like Friedman and company - who "know" what Americans really want and what is really best for us all. They just want to help us. They want you to know that the rich man really is out to get you.br /br /Ask yourself, Sociology 101 teaches that members of what large group are all alike?br /Fictional Groups. Only in fantasy are memebers of any group all the same. The Rich are not even a group. If so where do "they" meet? The left needs to present a copy of at least an official rich guy roster or a single association they belong to. Don't you think? Do you think Soros, Kennedy, Gates, Opra Winfrey belong to the same global rich guy club? Beware of huge stereotypes like "The Rich Guys" or "the Rednecks" that extremely few people are even aware of as constituting a left liberal stereotype.br /br /Professor Friedman knows best. The late, great historian Professor Robert H. Bremmner dedicated a career to producing balanced histories of Philanthropists but Friedman and his first sargeant, McGarvie know better than Bremmner and his generation of real historians. Professor Bremmner was a gentleman and scholar and he is still remembered by many. He was not the simpleton Prof Friedman and friends depict him.br /br /Read the reviews of Prof Friedman's first two books, especially "Inventors of the Promised Land". More political and psychoanalytical than historical, the books were roundly rejected as trash. Rightly so. br /br /I wonder if they waited until Scholar Prof Bremmner and his scholarly students passed away before they dared to publish this book. Considering its overwelming favorable reviews, does its poor quality prove that there is no professional scholarely history today, just "fiction" disguised as history? br /br /Look for the Friedman McGarvie students to trash my review--along with the left liberals. They'll assume I am conservative or right wing, living as they do in a false dichotomy bubble. In an age of American scholarship, outstanding students of true historians pounced on Friedman for his many errors and wild interpertations. Now, his few student jump on anyone who criticises him. br /br /I recommend students read this book, after you read the classic work "How to Read a Book", by Mortimer J. Adler... Do that and you will learn a lot.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
Disclaimer: The products referenced on this site are manufactured and sold by parties other than The New Social Worker/White Hat Communications. We make no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products.

Visit our poster store for unique social issues posters.

Amazon.com Widgets