Proclaim Liberty!

"Proclaim Liberty!" by Gilbert Seldes is a historical account written during the World War II era. The work addresses the themes of American unity, character, and destiny in the context of war, specifically focusing on the existential threats posed by the Axis powers. Seldes aims to persuade readers about the importance of recognizing and embracing America's heritage of freedom and democracy as vital to overcoming these threats. The opening of the book presents a dire assessment of the situation facing America during World War II, emphasizing that a powerful force now exists that could destroy the nation. Seldes discusses the need for Americans to unify and understand their shared purpose in fighting for their liberty. He critiques the notion that the attack on Pearl Harbor brought about a new sense of unity among Americans, arguing instead that true unity requires deeper recognition of their historical character and collective identity. He asserts that understanding the nature of their enemies and the stakes of the conflict is essential for ensuring victory and preserving American ideals. This sets the thematic tone for the subsequent chapters, which delve into the character and destiny of America, and the necessary strategies for its citizens during wartime. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Gilbert Vivian Seldes was an American writer and cultural critic. Seldes served as the editor and drama critic of the seminal modernist magazine The Dial and hosted the NBC television program The Subject is Jazz (1958). He also wrote for other magazines and newspapers like Vanity Fair and the Saturday Evening Post. He was most interested in American popular culture and cultural history. He wrote and adapted for Broadway, including Lysistrata and A Midsummer Night's Dream in the 1930s. Later, he made films, wrote radio scripts and became the first director of television for CBS News and the founding dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.