Descriere
“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, author of Team of Rivals
To all who say our democracy is broken—riven by partisanship, undermined by extremism, corrupted by wealth—history offers hope. In nearly every generation since the nation’s founding, critics have lodged similar complaints, and yet the nation is still standing. In Democracy: A Case Study, Harvard Business School professor David Moss reveals that the United States has often thrived on conflict.
Democracy’s nineteen case studies take us from James Madison and Alexander Hamilton’s debates in the run up to the Constitutional Convention to Citizens United. They were honed in Moss’s popular and highly influential course at the Harvard Business School and are now being taught in high schools across the country. Each one presents readers with 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 President Lincoln resupply Fort Sumter? Should Florida lawmakers approve or reject the Equal Rights Amendment?
Readers are asked to weigh the choices and consequences, wrestle with momentous decisions, and come to their own conclusions. Moss invites us to consider what distinguishes a constructive from a destructive conflict, to engage in the passionate debates that are crucial to a healthy society, and to experience American history anew. You will come away from this engaging and thought-provoking book with a deeper understanding of American democracy’s greatest strengths and weaknesses—and a new appreciation of its extraordinary resilience.
“Moss makes [his] argument in his brilliant introductory and concluding chapters, while the core of the book consists of 19 cases from throughout U.S. history that exemplify the complexity of political conflict.”—Suzanne Mettler, Foreign Affairs
“If this book does not read like a prediction of the present, then perhaps its sangfroid will nevertheless suit the reader with nerves jangled by the news. David Moss suggests we ought to be overdefensive of democracy; he recommends a salutary ‘political hypochondria.’ It seems an appropriate neurosis for the moment.”—Eric Rauchway, The Times Literary Supplement
“This set of well-documented, accessible essays presents the prickly challenges facing the rapidly changing American democracy, for lawmakers and citizens alike… A sterling educational tool that offers a fresh presentation of how ‘democracy in America has always been a contact sport.’”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Democracy should command the attention of teachers and students of all ages… Moss’s case studies are 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. He seems to demonstrate, moreover, that in a world in which ‘alternative facts’ are gaining traction, an informed understanding of the past can help us identify pathways to a prosperous and just democracy.”—Glenn C. Altschuler, The Huffington Post
“It’s hard to imagine a timelier book, given America’s tumultous 2016 elections, than this eminently readable survey of political disputes.”—Publishers Weekly
“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, author of Team of Rivals and The Bully Pulpit
“Brilliantly adapting the provocative format of the Harvard Business School’s case study method, Democracy: A Case Study challenges readers to think anew on topics ranging from James Madison’s quest for a workable federalism to such modern flashpoints as the power of the Federal Reserve and the Citizens United decision. Each episode is crisp and compelling, entertaining and inspiring. The effect is nothing less than to open the gates of our most elite university to the reading public.”—Roger Lowenstein, author of America’s Bank
“Democracy: A Case Study 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. This novel approach makes American history a valuable resource for civic education.”—Michael J. Sandel, author of Justice and What Money Can’t Buy
“In this powerfully provocative exploration of the nation’s core political values, David Moss shows why after more than two centuries we cannot take democracy for granted. Drawing on a number of well-selected case studies, he invites readers to interrogate the fundamental assumptions that have informed our civil society since the ratification of the Constitution.”—Timothy H. Breen, coauthor of Colonial America in an Atlantic World
“If we are going to breathe new life into democracy, there is no better way to begin than by reacquainting ourselves with our history. David Moss does this brilliantly in Democracy: A Case Study. Through well-chosen examples, drawn from his case-method course at Harvard, he helps us to understand the paths chosen and not chosen, and how each generation has adapted to new realities. Democracy may be something of a contact sport, as he argues, but we can play the game better if we understand the rules and why they keep changing. This timely book goes a long way toward that end.”—Ted Widmer, Brown University
