American democracy 21 historic answers to 5 urgent questions

"Nearly all the essential aspects of our democracy have been in dispute from the very beginning," writes journalist Lemann (Transaction Man) in this edifying survey of American political history. Seeking insights on the topics of citizenship, equality, the purpose of government, the influence of money on politics, and the efficacy of protest, Lemann collects writings from a diverse array of lawmakers, activists, judges, founding fathers, philosophers, and presidents. The section on citizenship, for example, includes George Washington's 1790 letter to a Jewish congregation in Newport, R.I.; an excerpt from Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?"; suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton's last public speech; Senator Henry Cabot Lodge's 1896 call for immigration restrictions; and progressive writer Randolph S. Bourne's WWI-era argument for a multicultural America. Lemann draws incisive links to present-day debates and provides useful historical context in introductions to each section, though readers may wish for editorial notes in the selections themselves (explaining, for instance, the work of immigration rights activist Mary Antin, whom Bourne references in his essay). Still, this illuminating and well-conceived anthology offers essential insights into how debates over the nature and practice of American democracy have evolved. (Oct.)

The New Yorker staff writer and journalism professor gathers historical texts he hopes will "serve as a spur to political reflection and action" on enduring problems of American democracy. Lemann argues that democracy isn't an outcome but a process--and one that was contentious from the beginning--so it makes more sense to refine it than to pine for a lost halcyon era. Toward that end, his anthology rounds up 21 texts produced over more than 200 years and divided thematically into five sections on "citizenship, equality, governance, money in politics, and protest," each of which deals with an issue that remains pertinent, such as racial injustice, immigration reform, or nuclear proliferation. Most contributors are well-known historical figures who represent diverse perspectives on democracy: Jane Addams, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Henry Cabot Lodge, James Madison, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alexis de Tocqueville, and George Washington. The book as a whole, however, is slanted toward the liberal end of the spectrum. Lemann offers an excerpt from Justice John Paul Stevens' dissent in the Citizens United case without the counterweight of a concurring opinion from a more conservative jurist, and he makes his anti-Trump stance clear on the first page, which faults the president for "spending money without congressional approval, selectively enforcing immigration laws, undermining the independence of federal agencies and unilaterally ordering assassinations overseas, even of American citizens." That uneasy mix of ageless texts and pointed topical commentary makes it difficult to envision a broad readership for this anthology. The book should find a natural home in lower-level college courses on American democracy, but the 2020 presidential election could make some of the material sound dated. Oddly enough, Lemann leaves the impression that he would love to have to revise parts of his work before the metaphorical ink has dried on the first edition. A solid, left-leaning collection of pieces by thought leaders of yesteryear on how democracy works--or doesn't. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

There has never been a time when American democracy was in perfect shape. There have been times when that was the perception, at least of people at the top of the society, but in historical perspective those moments look like examples of willful blindness--to slavery and segregation, to the denial of rights to women, to unacceptable conditions for the poor and vulnerable, and to many other woes. It is essential always to allow for multiple and conflicting perspectives on the health of our democracy. Many of the selections in this book were written by outsiders who were motivated by their exclusion from the system. This is our country. To be an American citizen is to bear a personal responsibility for improving American democracy. Everyone can do something. In deciding what to do, history helps. This book should serve as a spur to political reflection and action. The themes highlighted here--citizenship, equality, governance, money in politics, and protest--are long-running, essential flash points in American democracy, sources of vital debate, conflict, and creativity. They will still be flash points well into the future. The stakes are too high, and our opinions too varied, for any of them easily to be put to rest. Although the authors of the selections here are major historical figures, readers have a real commonality with them. All of them participated actively in American democracy. All of us can too. Excerpted from American Democracy: 21 Historic Answers to 5 Urgent Questions All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.