"Fifteen families. Four hundred years. The complex saga of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite in America's history. For decades, writers from Cleveland Amory to Joseph Alsop to the editors of Politico have proclaimed the diminishment of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, who for generations were the dominant socio-cultural-political force in America. While the WASP elite has, in the last half century, indeed drifted from American centrality to the periphery, its relevance and impact remain, as Michael Gross reveals in his compelling chronicle of the WASPs in our history. From Colonial America's founding settlements through the Gilded Age to the present day, Gross traces the complicated legacy of American WASPs-their profound accomplishments and egregious failures-through the lives of fifteen influential individuals and their very privileged, sometimes intermarried families. As the Bradford, Randolph, Morris, Biddle, Sanford, Peabody, and Whitney clans, among others, progress, prosper, and stumble, defining aspects in the four-century sweep of American history emerge: our wide, oft-contentious religious diversity; the deep scars of slavery, genocide, and intolerance; the creation and sometime misuse of astonishing economic, political, and social power; an enduring belief in the future; an instinct to offset inequity with philanthropy; an equal capacity for irresponsible, sometimes wanton, behavior. "American society was supposed to be different," writes Gross, "but for most of our history we have had a patriciate, an aristocracy, a hereditary oligarchic upper class, who initiated the American national experiment." In previous acclaimed books such as 740 Park and Rogues' Gallery, Gross has explored elite culture in microcosm; expanding the canvas, Flight of the WASP chronicles it across four centuries and fifteen generations in an ambitious and consequential contribution to American history"--
Fifteen families.Four hundred years. The complex saga of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite inAmericas history.
For decades, writers from Cleveland Amory to JosephAlsop to the editors of Politico have proclaimed thediminishment of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, who for generations were thedominant socio-cultural-political force in America. While the WASP elite has,in the last half century, indeed drifted from American centrality to theperiphery, its relevance and impact remain, as Michael Gross reveals in hiscompelling chronicle.
From Colonial Americas founding settlements throughthe Gilded Age to the present day, Gross traces the complex legacy of American WASPstheirprofound accomplishments and egregious failuresthrough the lives of fifteeninfluential individuals and their very privileged, sometimes intermarriedfamilies. As the Bradford, Randolph, Morris, Biddle, Sanford, Peabody andWhitney clans progress, prosper and periodically stumble, defining aspects inthe four-century sweep of American history emerge: our wide, oft-contentiousreligious diversity; the deep scars of slavery, genocide, and intolerance; thecreation and sometime mis-use of astonishing economic and political power; anenduring belief in the future; an instinct to offset inequity withphilanthropy; an equal capacity for irresponsible, sometimes wanton, behavior.
American society was supposed to be different,writes Gross, but for most of our history we have had a patriciate, anaristocracy, a hereditary oligarchic upper class, who initiated the Americannational experiment. In previous acclaimed books such as 740 Park and RoguesGallery, Gross has explored elite culture in microcosm; expanding thecanvas, Flight of the WASP chronicles it across four centuriesand fifteen generations in an ambitious and consequential contribution toAmerican history.
