An innovative departure from traditional approaches to political thought, Lyman Tower Sargent's groundbreaking anthology includes minority ideologies and positions where they occurred historically. By interweaving minority voices with majority documents rather than grouping them separately, Political Thought in the United States presents us with a uniquely organic portrait of American political life.

Beginning with the time of the explorers and early settlers, the volume presents the political beliefs and ideologies of religious minorities, women, North American Indians, and African Americans as fundamental components of American thought. Emphasizing that such minority perspectives never melted together into the mainstream, Sargent subscribes to a "tossed salad" approach which emphasizes the distinctness of minority opinions.

Sargent's introductory comments, which preface the selections, serve as connecting narratives and help the reader follow ideological disputes as they occurred, revealing a historical continuum and enriching our understanding of contemporary politics.