Democracy
A Case Study
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- £25.99
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- £25.99
Publisher Description
A Foreign Affairs Best Book of the Year
“This absolutely splendid book is a triumph on every level. A first-rate history of the United States, it is beautifully written, deeply researched, and filled with entertaining stories. For anyone who wants to see our democracy flourish, this is the book to read.”
—Doris Kearns Goodwin
To all who say our democracy is broken—riven by partisanship, undermined by extremism, corrupted by wealth—history offers hope. Democracy’s nineteen cases, honed in David Moss’s popular course at Harvard and taught at the Library of Congress, in state capitols, and at hundreds of high schools across the country, take us from Alexander Hamilton’s debates in the run up to the Constitutional Convention to Citizens United. Each one presents a pivotal moment in U.S. history and raises questions facing key decision makers at the time: Should the delegates support Madison’s proposal for a congressional veto over state laws? Should Lincoln resupply Fort Sumter? Should Florida lawmakers approve or reject the Equal Rights Amendment? Should corporations have a right to free speech? Moss invites us to engage in the passionate debates that are crucial to a healthy society.
“Engagingly written, well researched, rich in content and context…Moss believes that fierce political conflicts can be constructive if they are mediated by shared ideals.”
—Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post
“Gives us the facts of key controversies in our history—from the adoption of the constitution to Citizens United—and invites readers to decide for themselves…A valuable resource for civic education.”
—Michael Sandel, author of Justice
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's hard to imagine a timelier book, given America's tumultous 2016 elections, than this eminently readable survey of political disputes by Moss (Preventing Regulatory Capture), a Harvard professor of business administration. Moss believes that "American democracy has survived" not through agreement but "conflict sometimes intense conflict mediated, generally, by shared ideals." He supports his belief with 19 examples, ranging from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 up through the Supreme Court's controversial 2010 Citizens United decision. The 19 cases are the basis of a course he teaches to both undergraduates and graduates, and he offers his readers an opportunity to engage in critical thinking themselves by leaving each section unresolved, so that they can come to their own decisions as to which side of a particular controversy they come down on. (An appendix reveals the eventual decision reached in each case.) The examples have been carefully chosen to illustrate a range of issues, from hot-button ones, such as voting rights, to the less noted, such as the role of administrative agencies in meat safety inspection. Moss concludes by offering some interesting suggestions "for revitalizing democratic engagement and commitment," based on his historical analyses.