American philanthropy today expands knowledge, champions social
movements, defines active citizenship, influences policymaking, and
addresses humanitarian crises. How did philanthropy become such a
powerful and integral force in American society? "Philanthropy in
America" is the first book to explore in depth the
twentieth-century growth of this unique phenomenon. Ranging from
the influential large-scale foundations established by tycoons such
as John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and the mass mobilization of small
donors by the Red Cross and March of Dimes, to the recent social
advocacy of individuals like Bill Gates and George Soros, respected
historian Olivier Zunz chronicles the tight connections between
private giving and public affairs, and shows how this union has
enlarged democracy and shaped history.
Zunz looks at the ways in which American philanthropy emerged
not as charity work, but as an open and sometimes controversial
means to foster independent investigation, problem solving, and the
greater good. Andrew Carnegie supported science research and higher
education, catapulting these fields to a prominent position on the
world stage. In the 1950s, Howard Pew deliberately funded the young
Billy Graham to counter liberal philanthropies, prefiguring the
culture wars and increased philanthropic support for religious
causes. And in the 1960s, the Ford Foundation supported civil
rights through education, voter registration drives, and community
action programs. Zunz argues that American giving allowed the
country to export its ideals abroad after World War II, and he
examines the federal tax policies that unified the diverse
nonprofit sector.
Demonstrating that America has cultivated and relied on
philanthropy more than any other country, "Philanthropy in America"
examines how giving for the betterment of all became embedded in
the fabric of the nation's civic democracy.
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