Summary of George F. Will's American Happiness and Discontents

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of George F. Will's American Happiness and Discontents in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Other topics addressed include the American Revolutionary War, historical figures from Frederick Douglass to JFK, as well as a scathing assessment of how State of the Union Addresses are delivered in the modern day. Mr. Will also offers his perspective on American socialists, anti-capitalist conservatives, drug policy, the criminal justice system, climatology, the Coronavirus, the First Amendment, parenting, meritocracy and education, China, fascism, authoritarianism, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, and the morality of enjoying football. American Happiness and Discontents: The Unruly Torrent, 2008-2020 is a collection packed with wisdom and leavened by humor from one the preeminent columnists and intellectuals of our time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669341529

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on George F. Will's American Happiness and Discontents

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Magna Carta was an important document in the history of limited government in the United States, as it asserted that the will of the King could be constrained by written restraints.

#2

Conservatives must decide whether majority rule or liberty is America’s fundamental purpose. If they side with the latter, they must fight for the Constitution, which includes the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.

#3

The American Revolutionary War was won by the Continental Army under the command of George Washington, who was able to retreat across New Jersey and Pennsylvania after losing large amounts of men at battle.

#4

The more we are taught by historians that the United States was not created by weak people, the less likely we will be tempted to view our nation as such.

#5

There are two books that examine the anarchic violence on both sides during the American Revolution, and they both conclude that war is hell.

#6

The new museum will help stimulate interest in books like Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution and The Last Muster, which chronicle the human cost of the American Revolution.

#7

President Ulysses S. Grant, for his part, was a good president who helped African Americans achieve their independence. He was also quite drunk most of the time, and had an unfortunate relationship with women.

#8

Chernow’s Grant is a gift to a nation that sorely needs measured judgments about its past.

#9

In 1845, Frederick Douglass published his autobiography, in which he explained the evils of slavery and the importance of individual freedom.

#10

During the time of Frederick Douglass, the North was starting to feel sympathetic to the South’s cause, as they believed the Civil War was about states’ rights, not slavery.

#11

The first known use of the word pogrom was in 1905, when hundreds of Russian Jews were massacred in Odessa. It was later used to describe riots against black Americans in 1908.

#12

The Whig theory of history holds that progress is the essence of the human story, but that theory has been proven wrong time and time again.

#13

The American President series, which features biographies of all past presidents, demonstrates just how little regard most Americans have for the office of the president.

#14

Taft correctly compared Roosevelt to the first populist president, Andrew Jackson. And while Taft resisted Roosevelt for a while, he eventually agreed with many of his policies, and was known for his aggressiveness and courage.

#15

On April 9, 1917, the United States entered World War I, and within a year, 2 million American soldiers were in Europe.

#16

America’s involvement in World War I created a stronger, more unified country. It also unleashed a flu pandemic that killed more people than the war itself.

#17

The Somme was a battle that changed the course of history, as it was the first time that the military utilized industrial war machines, and it paved the way for future wars.

#18

The Somme is a prime example of how World War I affected the world, and how it is still affecting it today.

#19

The Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, was passed in 1919. However, it took the federal government 57