Originally published in 1776, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations was lauded by America's founders as a landmark of Enlightenment thinking about national wealth, statecraft, and moral virtue. Today, Smith is one of the most influential icons of economics in America. Tracing how generations of Americans have read, reinterpreted, misinterpreted, and weaponized Smith, Glory Liu reveals why his popular image as a champion of American-style capitalism and free markets is a modern invention and distortion-and how a new generation of thinkers is trying to recover Smith's original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher. Charting America's enduring fascination with the Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith's America shows how Smith continues to be a contested figure, used by all sides in debates over the morality and politics of modern capitalism.