Power  /  Book Review

Two Americas?

Heather Cox Richardson argues that there are two Americas: one interested in equality, the other in hierarchy. But it's not that simple.

Democracy Awakening raises an important question: In a moment of crisis, should we prioritize historical accuracy, or a narrative to rally around? Richardson discusses the 1619 Project, which roots the identity of the United States in its history of slavery, and Trump’s 1776 Commission, which called for “patriotic education” emphasizing what makes America “great.” She contends that both approaches can be destructive and miss what makes American history unique. While the 1619 Project shed light on previously silenced voices, its narrative at times lost sight of the revolutionary vision of the Founding Fathers to a liberal democratic system and the rule of law at its core rather than a monarchical system that upheld social or racial hierarchies, as was prominent in Europe. Richardson also lambasts the 1776 Commission for presenting a quasi-white-nationalist narrative of American history. In Democracy Awakening, Richardson hopes to provide a new path with her own narrative that recognizes the reactionary thinking that was built into America’s founding but also acknowledges the possibilities offered within its foundational documents and institutions.

But in creating her own historical narrative, Richardson relies on oversimplification. She sharply defines the two Americas, one built on equality for all and the other on hierarchy. But historical actors and their motivations are far more complex than this. For example, Richardson emphasizes the role that Christian theology played in Southern Democratic oligarchic society in propping up slavery as an institution. But she fails to mention that many of the earliest abolitionists in the United States were also Christians, some of whom advocated armed violence, such as John Brown. Similarly, Richardson portrays FDR in a positive light as a dynamic figure who revolutionized the way Americans understood the role of the federal government. But she omits the fact that many of the methods he used to enact his legislation were highly controversial, arguably illiberal. Famously, FDR proposed to expand the Supreme Court to gain more justices to rule in favor of his New Deal legislation. Had Trump proposed something similar during his term, one could only imagine the pushback he would have received. Richardson says she wants to provide a nuanced view of American history that emphasizes the uniqueness of its origins while also offering a critical take on actors and their stories, but she neglects counterexamples that would complicate her narrative. One is left wondering whether she, too, is trying to create a galvanizing story with clear heroes and villains to get Americans to vote Democrat in November.