The Nation That Never Was
Kermit Roosevelt III is a constitutional law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is the author of The Myth of Judicial Activism, as well as Allegiance and In the Shadow of the Law, and a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
We all tell the same tale about America: that our country's essential ideals were expressed in the Declaration of Independence, fought for in the Revolution, and made law in the Constitution. But, as the country becomes more divided, this story is no longer working for us, even it's false. In this eye-opening reconstruction of the American tale, Kermit Roosevelt contends that our essential principles, particularly equality, were not part of the Founders' vision. They were instead proclaimed in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and were the hope of Reconstruction, when it was conceivable to imagine the formation of a nation committed to liberty and equality.
We are currently in a quandary. We want to be open about our history, including the bigotry and oppression that Americans have both perpetrated and faced. But we also want to feel proud of our country. Roosevelt demonstrates in The Nation That Never Was how we might achieve both by acknowledging we are not the country we thought we were. Roosevelt contends that Reconstruction was not a fulfillment of the Founding Fathers' objectives, but rather a repudiation: we current Americans are not the descendants of the Founders, but of the individuals who toppled and destroyed that political order. This alternative interpretation of American identity opens the way to a new understanding of ourselves and our stories, and, ultimately, to a better America.
Today's America is not the America of the Founders, but it can be Lincoln's America. Roosevelt provides a strong and inspiring reframing of our country's history, revealing a shared past that we can be proud of and use as a foundation to work toward a country that completely embraces equality for all.
Author: Kermit Roosevelt III
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Nation-That-Never-Was-Reconstructing/dp/022681761X/
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars (from 5 reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #9,132 in Books
#1 in Civil War Gettysburg History
#3 in United States History (Books)
#4 in Political Science (Books)
