The City on the Hill from Below

"The City on the Hill from Below is an interesting, provocative, and important project, and Marshall has engaged deeply and profitably with his primary texts. He makes arguments that bear directly on important current debates. The most original aspects of Marshall’s book are its contribution to Africana political thought and its insistence on linking Africana thought to American thought. There is a laudably Ellisonian insight at the heart of this work: the idea that black thinkers were part of a quintessentially American tradition and that we can’t really understand them or America until we understand this connection."
—Paul C. Taylor, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Penn State University

"The City on the Hill from Below is an engaging exploration of a great theme. Marshall provides a very able analysis of the major African American political writers he examines: David Walker, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison. He unites them by interpreting them through a promising lens: black political thinkers responding to one of the central tropes of American political and religious culture, the nation as a ‘city on a hill.’ Greatly to his credit, Marshall highlights, throughout, limitations in the political vision of each thinker, even if he sees them as representing a tradition that we would do well to recover if we could."
—Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

"Marshall presents a challenging interrogation of a central trope of American political theory in this excellent new work. In examining the meaning and implication of 'the city on the hill' as political imaginary, the author skillfully guides readers through the history of prophetic political critique from African American intellectuals and offers insights into both the strengths and weakness of the arguments put forth by David Walker, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, and James Baldwin.... This is a well-written, incisive intellectual work that offers critical insights into political theory and African American politics. Highly recommended."
—Choice

"Even compared to recent—and excellent—publications on black political thought, Stephen H. Marshall's The City on the Hill From Below stands out. Marshall's first book is notable for its range and sagacity. He examines how David Walker, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and James Baldwin invoke and reinterpret the best-known metaphor for American exceptionalism: the 'City on the Hill.'... Marshall's keenest insight is to treat each thinker as a theorist of 'political evil'.... (R)ichly textured...Marshall's reading (of Walker) is nothing short of commanding.... The City on the Hill from Below is a remarkable first book that contributes novel insights for the study of black political thought.... By addressing so many important thinkers and themes, the book represents a significant contribution to the study of black political thought and political theory more generally."
—Perspectives on Politics

"Marshall’s book makes for a fine treatment of black political thought."
—Journal of American History