Orestes Augustus Brownson (1803-1876) was a New England intellectual, activist, preacher, labor organizer, and after his conversion to Catholicism a prolific Catholic writer. He was a part of the Transcendentalist movement, which was popular in the Boston Unitarian community. The American Republic: constitution, Tendencies and Destiny was written in 1865. The preface begins, "I have given, as far as I have considered it worth giving, my whole thought in a connected form on the nature, necessity, extent, authority, origin, ground, and constitution of government, and the unity, nationality, constitution, tendencies, and destiny of the American Republic. Many of the points treated have been from time to time discussed or touched upon, and many of the views have been presented, in my previous writings; but this work is newly and independently written from beginning to end, and is as complete on the topics treated as I have been able to make it."