This year, the anniversary of American independence has arrived at a moment when more and more Americans are speaking out about injustice. The protests across the country are of enormous significance. They signal a real shift in thinking about racism, American history, and national institutions. This week, we’re bringing you a selection of pieces about the state of our democracy. In “The Last Time Democracy Almost Died,” Jill Lepore writes about the nineteen-thirties, when political leaders of all stripes raised concerns about the future of the American commonwealth. In “Is Capitalism a Threat to Democracy?,” Caleb Crain examines the link between our embrace of the free market and the ascendancy of authoritarianism. In “Stacey Abrams’s Fight for a Fair Vote,” Jelani Cobb chronicles the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate’s battle against voter suppression and for electoral reform. Finally, in “Get Up and Go Vote,” Roger Angell reflects on the excitement that he still feels, in his late nineties, when he goes to the polls. We hope that you find these pieces as enlightening as we do on this holiday weekend.
Learning from the upheaval of the nineteen-thirties.
The idea that authoritarianism attracts workers harmed by the free market, which emerged when the Nazis were in power, has been making a comeback.
As the 2020 elections approach, Abrams is leading the battle against voter suppression.
At the age of ninety-eight, I’m not quite up to making phone calls or ringing doorbells. But I can still vote.
